Guardian Angels
by kp1185
Summary: A simple camping trip turns into a deadly case for the angels when they cross path with a hunted young woman who must be taken under their wings.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was peaceful outside. Calm and blissfully quiet. The full moon completely visible in the dark sky through the wispy clouds floating lazily by. A beautiful night. There was slight condensation on the corners of the windows, evidence of the slightly chilly weather outside. Inside however, it was warm and comfortable.

Jill yawned tiredly. It had been a long day and the warm quiet stillness was making her drowsy. Her heavy eyelids drooped shut and she immediately snapped them back open.

Don't fall asleep, Jill, she told herself sternly.

Her eyelids obeyed for another few minutes before again sliding shut against her will. It felt so good. What could a second or two hurt?

The two seconds turned into several and without realizing it, Jill's mind began to drift away, floating gratefully towards sleep. Her head nodded forward, her chin gently resting against her chest.

"Jill!"

The frantic shout sent her eyelids flying open, instantly confused and startled by the bright lights and blaring sounds assaulting her sense and shattering the former stillness. Confusion reigned for a split second longer before Jill's slightly disoriented mind kicked into gear.

Headlights!

"Jill! Look out!"

A truck was barreling towards them, laying on the horn in a desperate warning. Amid terrified shrieks from her passengers, Jill reacted and violently spun the steering wheel to the right, sending everything in the car spilling and tumbling in the opposite direction. Her line of sight was yanked out of the glaring headlights as they blew by, leaving only the trailing tones of the truck's angry horn as it passed. Tires squealed loudly in protest, the entire car out of immediate harm but still swerving dangerously.

Hand over hand on the wheel, Jill expertly corrected her previous overcorrection. The tires again gripped the highway, the squealing quieted, and the swerving stopped. Heavy breathing filled the car, the only noise despite the hum of tires over asphalt, and the night became still again.

Almost.

"Jill! What's wrong with you?!" Kris yelled shrilly at her from the front passenger seat. Her hand was over her heart, her blue eyes wide and terrified.

"Did you fall asleep?!" Sabrina's voice cut in from the backseat. "You said you would be ok!"

Jill let out a shaky breath and stared determinedly at the road in front of her, gripping the wheel firmly with both trembling hands as if making amends for nearly killing them all. Her drowsiness was gone. The sudden adrenaline dump left her wide awake.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped. "I- I just closed my eyes for a second! I didn't mean-"

"-to fall asleep at the wheel and imbed us all into the grill of a truck?" Kris finished heatedly. "God, Jill." she sighed, leaning her head back.

"I'm sorry! Are you ok?"

Kris closed her eyes and swallowed. "Fine."

Jill rubbed her face with one hand and then glanced apologetically into the rearview mirror to check on Kelly and Sabrina, who had both been flopped against their doors sleeping just moments before. "You guys ok back there?"

Sabrina was rubbing the side of her head. "Yeah, just smacked my head against Kelly's." she sighed breathlessly, slumping back in her seat.

"Kell?" Jill pressed.

Kelly was rubbing both sides of her head. "I hit the window-" she answered casting a sideways glare at Sabrina. "-and then Sabrina's big head." She ignored Sabrina's look and smiled shakily. "You ok, Jill?"

Jill sighed. "Yeah, I'm really sorry."

"Pull over, Jill." Kris ordered. "Let me drive."

Jill rolled her eyes and blushed. "I'm fine. It's just another couple of hours. Really!" she insisted, still ashamed.

Sabrina and Kelly shared a look in the backseat and shook their heads. They caught Kris's eye and raised their eyebrows doubtfully. Kris nodded and Jill immediately realized that there was an impending silent mutiny amongst her passengers.

"A vote then." Sabrina said, clearing her throat. She stuck out a fist and made a dramatic thumbs down gesture. "Tribe?" she asked expectantly to Kris and Kelly. Kris grinned and immediately mirrored her gesture.

"Aw, come on." Jill groaned. She shot Kelly a beseeching look. "Please, Kell!"

Kelly shook her head slowly and stuck her thumb down. Jill groaned and drifted the car to the right in preparation to stop and change drivers.

"Sorry, Jill." Kelly said with a grin. "The tribe has spoken."

Jill grumbled and coasted the car to a stop on the shoulder. She and Kris got out and switched places, Kris being sure to make a show of confiscating the keys to her sister's beloved Cobra. Once back inside, Jill pulled on her seatbelt and crossed her arms over her chest in a pout.

Kris laughed and started the car. "It's ok Jill. You're sleepy and you've been driving for hours. Time to pass the torch." she said, ruffling her sister's hair.

In spite of herself, a smile broke out over Jill's face and she playfully swatted her little sister's hand away. "Yeah, yeah. I get it." she said gamely. "Leave my hair alone."

Kris adjusted the seat to make up for the height difference between her and Jill and pulled out onto the now empty freeway. The girls were embarking on a much needed vacation, and with Kris in town for the weekend had decided that a camping trip was in order. They left Los Angeles much later than expected due to a misunderstanding with a client and had been driving through California for hours. The girls unanimously decided to drive through the night and get to their campsite late rather than leave the following morning. The trip had been full of laughs, teasing, stories, and jokes, making the drive go by quickly. However the busy day had left them all tired and by midnight, poor Jill, who had volunteered her car for the trip, was the only one left awake. Without her companions constant chatter, it had been much harder to stay awake.

Jill yawned again in her seat. The adrenaline was almost spent and the drowsiness had returned. She leaned her head against the window, but found it much too cold and uncomfortable.

"Is there a pillow back there?" she asked.

Sabrina and Kelly sat up and fished around their backseat haven until they found a suitable pillow for their friend. Kelly tossed it at her and Jill gratefully took it and fluffed it in her hands.

"Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna nap." she said with another yawn.

"Go ahead, Jill. It won't kill us this time." Kris joked. Sabrina and Kelly giggled at the comment.

Jill shot her a dirty look, though Kris didn't see it. She yawned again as she settled the pillow against her window and closed her eyes.

"Sorry again for that." she murmured.

"You should be!" Sabrina teased. "I'm surprised I didn't get sick back here with that wake up call." She turned to Kelly. "I didn't throw up on you did I?"

Kelly giggled. "No, Bri."

"Oh." Sabrina said almost in disappointment."Can I?"

The front seat burst into laughter and Kelly groaned and gave her friend a shove. The four girls giggled happily as the Cobra headed ever closer to their destination. They couldn't wait. The past week had been busy and stressful and they all felt overworked and long overdue for a few days off. Now Kris was in town and it was finally time for the vacation they had been looking forward to all week.

A weekend of relaxation and good times anxiously awaited them.

* * *

The girls slept late into the following morning worn out from both their busy day and the long, mostly sleepless drive. They crawled out of their two tents at a little past ten, hungry for breakfast and ready to enjoy their first day of vacation. It was a beautiful Friday morning in early March, the late morning sun already warming up the brisk forest air.

"Good morning, ladies!" Jill called out happily as a sleepy looking Sabrina and Kelly joined her and her sister by the breakfast fire.

"Morning." Sabrina and Kelly muttered in unison, rubbing their eyes. Both Munroe sisters were early risers and it was impossible to continue sleeping after they had both woken and emerged from their tent like two blonde and bubbly hummingbirds bent on destruction. Their bickering and giggling as they clanged pots and pans in preparation for breakfast had probably woken every animal in the forest who had the misfortune of sleeping within a ten mile radius of their campsite.

Sabrina and Kelly easily could have slept until noon.

Sadly, burrowing themselves in their sleeping bags and squirming to the back of their tent had not been enough to drown out what had to be the loudest attempt at starting a fire in the history of man. With a defeated sigh, both had silently decided that it was time to face whatever disaster was going on outside.

"What was all that racket going on last night?" Jill asked, as she poured her two friends a cup of coffee.

Kris laughed. "Oh yeah! We were starting to get ideas!" she joked. "What happened?"

Sabrina shot Kelly an amused look and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You wanna field this one, champ?" she asked.

Kelly rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee, her face already starting to turn red. Seeing that she had all three of her friends undivided attention she decided that she had no other choice but to embarrass herself before she had even had breakfast.

Not that it was that uncommon an occurence.

"C'mon Kell!" Sabrina urged, biting back laughter. "Tell 'em!"

Kelly sighed loudly. "I built our tent on an ant hill." she admitted. "It was terrible."

Jill and Kris lowered their heads and laughed at their friend's misfortune. Kelly shrugged and sipped her coffee again, a laughing smile spreading beyond the ceramic of her cup.

"You forgot why it was so terrible!" Sabrina accused in a mock hurt voice.

Kelly put down her cup and sighed. "Because I put Sabrina's sleeping bag on top of it." she said quickly. As she revealed her newest crime, Sabrina rolled down her sleeves and exposed forearms that were covered in angry red bites.

Jill burst into laughter at the sight with a mouth full of coffee and quickly threw her arm in front of her face to save her friends from being sprayed. Still laughing and coughing, she scrambled away to wipe all of the coffee off of her face, sending the remaining three girls into hysterics. The girls continued laughing happily as they started to prepare some breakfast.

"Hey, I got eaten alive too, ya know!" Kelly cried, giving Sabrina a playful shove. Sabrina was about to answer back, but Kelly's shove caused some previously forgotten ant bites to suddenly itch. She closed her mouth and furiously scratched her arm, sending Kelly a wounded look. Kelly and Kris burst into laughter again.

Finally, Kris wiped her eyes and patted Kelly's arm. "Don't worry about it, Kell." she giggled and jerked her head towards Jill, who was wiping her face with someone's shirt she had found close by. "Grizzly Adams over there built our tent on a hill and won't admit it. I need a stake to drive into her sleeping bag so she doesn't roll into me tonight."

The four girls shared another laugh and together prepared some bacon and scrambled eggs in the cast iron skillet Sabrina brought from home. As they ate, they began to excitedly plan their day.

"We should go swimming!" Kelly said happily through a mouthful of eggs. There was a wide creek nearby, perfect for some water activities, and Kelly didn't want to miss a minute of it. Her eyes shone with excitement and she was bolting her food down like a child on Christmas morning.

Sabrina chuckled at her friend. This was Kelly's first camping trip, and though she had tried to mask her child like enthusiasm, it was getting more and more obvious as time wore on.

And aggravating.

"Kell, the water's really cold." Sabrina explained patiently to her friend. "Are you sure you wanna do that?"

Kelly nodded. "It can't be that bad. It's warming up outside."

To Sabrina's horror, Jill and Kris seemed to agree with Kelly's crazy idea. She wondered why she had even bothered to entertain the idea that they would see reason.

"I'm game!" Jill called out. She looked at her sister who shrugged acceptance of the idea as well. Seeing herself outnumbered three to one, Sabrina sighed her defeat. Jill and Kelly's penchant for adrenaline boosting activities sometimes did not sit well with her. She smiled and raised her hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, let's go swimming."

Swimming activities lasted approximately twenty minutes before Jill and Kelly finally admitted that the water was indeed, too cold for swimming. After giving Sabrina a sound splashing for her gloating, the girls trudged back to the campsite, changed into dry clothes and chatted, enjoying each other's company and soaking up the warm sunshine. They ended up spending the day hiking, exploring, teasing and joking, and because of Kris's insatiable curiosity, running in arm flailing terror from a hive of angry bees. By the time evening streaked its red fingers across the sky, the girls were relaxed, tired but happy from their fun-filled day. They settled down to a hearty dinner and then sprawled out on the warm ground to rest. The campfire crackled and popped cheerfully, and the warmth combined with the oncoming darkness and the gentle night sounds of the forest began to lull the girls into sleep. They lay quietly for a few minutes, content to let their drowsiness overtake them. Suddenly, Jill popped her head up, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Ya know, I was just thinking-" she started mysteriously.

"That's a first." Kelly piped up. Kris and Sabrina snickered at her sarcasm. "Yeah. Congratulations, Jill." Kris added. The girls giggled some more and Jill, her desired air of mystery ruined, crossed her arms and put on a mock wounded look.

"Fine." she said, flinging a clump of dirt at Kelly. It bounced off of her leg and Kelly smiled, eyes still closed in relaxation. "I'll just eat all of the s'mores by myself."

Sabrina, Kelly, and Kris simultaneously bolted upright.

"You brought s'mores?" Kris asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

Jill laughed at her companions' sudden change of heart. "Oh, now everyone is my friend."she teased.

"Go get them, Jill!" Kelly exclaimed, tugging on her friend's arm. Jill giggled and pried her away. "Ok, ok! If you're all so eager, I guess I can share."

Fifteen minutes later, night had claimed the sky and the four girls were happily roasting marshmallows in the darkness and chatting happily about work, school, dates, and anything else that peaked their interest.

"Kell, you're not supposed to hold the chocolate over the fire." Kris remarked casually during a lull in conversation. There was sticky marshmallow smeared on her right cheek, which neither her sister nor two friends had bothered to tell her about.

Kelly looked up, puzzled by this news. She had never made smores before. "But then how would the chocolate melt?" she asked innocently.

"The marshmallow is supposed to melt the chocolate, Kell." Sabrina explained patiently.

Kelly stubbornly held her bit of chocolate over the fire. "It doesn't do a good enough job."

Sabrina heaved a sigh a pity and shook her head at her friend's ignorance. Kelly's devious sweet tooth sometimes overshadowed her logic. "Maybe if you let it sit for a minute before stuffing it your face, it would have enough time." she said with a playful smirk.

Kelly huffed and withdrew her melty chocolate from the fire and smeared it onto a Graham cracker with its marshmallow. "Well, you can all eat your cold chocolate. I like it better this way." she insisted.

Jill laughed at her."You're a trip, Kelly." she teased. She paused for a moment, eyeing her bit of chocolate thoughtfully. Later, when she thought no one was paying attention, she speared a piece of chocolate on her skewer and discreetly held it over the fire as well.

The night wore on pleasantly enough and Sabrina proved to have a surprise as well, when she produced a few bottles of wine from her bag. The girls toasted each other and drank from mugs until they were tipsy, giggling uncontrollably and teasing each other without mercy. They soon realized that their fire was dying down, unacceptable since they were not yet ready for bed so drew straws to see who would go get firewood. Kelly lost, but upon seeing her giggle and stumble as she got up, her friends decided that she was too intoxicated to be trusted with the job, so Jill offered to go in her place

"I'll be right back." Jill giggled, as she watched Kelly ungracefully sit herself back down between Sabrina and Kris. Kelly, her equilibrium challenged by standing and sitting too quickly, teetered to the right and fell into Kris, who laughed and pushed her oblivious friend back into a sitting position.

"Be careful, Jill!" Kris called out after her sister, still enjoying a laugh at Kelly's expense.

Jill turned to face her friends, swaying slightly with the effects of the alcohol. "Don't worry, what could happen?" she slurred dismissively, then turned and crunched her way through the sticks and leaves into the forest and away from the protective glow of the fire.

The remaining girls watched her go and then resumed their attention to the story Kris had been telling. The marshmallow was still on her face, and because of it Sabrina and Kelly continued to giggle uncontrollably at inappropriate parts of her story, much to Kris's confusion. By the end of Kris's tale, two things had been noticed: The marshmallow on her face and the fact that it had been ten minutes and Jill had not returned.

The three girls craned their necks, trying in vain to see into the inky blackness beyond their fire. Jill had taken a flashlight, but there was no sign of her or her light anywhere.

"Jill!" Kelly shouted, concern creeping its way into her voice. Her echo in the darkness was the only answer. She turned to Sabrina and Kris, worry etched in her features. "One of us should have gone with her."

Sabrina shook her head. "I think she's ok. Maybe she's playing a joke?" she offered weakly.

The idea was comforting, but the worry remained. The three girls, sobered by fear, stood up, armed themselves with flashlights and began to move toward the dark and still forest where Jill had disappeared into.

"Jill!" Kris yelled out, sweeping her beam of light carefully in front of her. "Jill, where are you?!"

The trio continued forward amongst the ever thickening forest of trees. The woods, which had seemed so peaceful and scenic during the laughing fun-filled hours of daylight, now appeared ominous before them, like a great gaping maw of unknown blackness. The girls linked arms.

"Jill, this isn't funny!" Kris shouted out again. She sounded worried and nervous. "Where are you?"

A sudden rustling caused all three girls to shriek and whip their light around to the source. Their three shaking beams revealed a raccoon, who quickly scampered away into the bushes. The girls sighed in relief.

"C'mon, Jill!" Kelly hollered into the darkness. She turned to her two friends with a pained and guilty look on her face. "She was kinda drunk, you think she passed out somewhere?"

Before, Sabrina or Kris could offer her their opinions, a shrill, piercing scream cut through the stillness of the dark forest, making their hearts skip a beat. The girls exchanged horrified looks, goosebumps rising on their arms and the hair on the back of their necks standing up. The scream was that of someone absolutely terrified.

But something was off.

"Jill!" Sabrina cried in terror, lunging forward to blindly rush through the woods. Kris and Kelly grabbed her arm and yanked her to a halt.

"Bri!" Kelly said in a harsh whisper. "Stop. We need to be careful!"

Sabrina shot her friends a baffled look."What?"

Kris swallowed hard and looked into the darkness.

"Bri, that wasn't Jill."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kris's words hung heavily in the air, opening up a myriad of both good and bad possibilities.

"What?" Sabrina asked in confusion.

Kris sighed and rubbed her temples in worried frustration. "That wasn't Jill screaming. It wasn't her- her voice." she moaned.

"Who's screaming?" Kelly asked quietly. She swallowed, looking as if her brain had just answered her question in a way that made her physically ill.

Sabrina fidgeted restlessly and pulled her arm out of Kelly's grip. "I don't know, but someone needs help and Jill might be with her." she said, decisively pushing her way through the underbrush. Kelly and Kris followed closely behind her.

"Did you bring your gun, Bri?" Kelly whispered when they caught up. Sabrina frowned and shook her head. "You?" she asked back.

"It's in the car."

Sabrina and Kelly sighed in irritation at their poor planning. But nothing could be done about it now.

The three girls pushed their way through the brush in the vague direction of the terrified scream that had jarred their senses moments before. Their flashlight beams bounced across the brush, bright, but not nearly enough to illuminate the gloomy darkness that they were losing themselves farther and farther inside. The trio wandered around aimlessly, growing increasingly unsure of the direction of the scream. Just as the frustration became unbearable, the same woman's shrill, heart stopping scream tore through the forest again, making the three girls jerk backwards in surprise.

This time it was much closer.

Sabrina recovered first from the shock of the abrupt noise and hurriedly shut her flashlight off and jammed it into her pocket. There had been a gnawing feeling of dread eating away at her since they had first noticed Jill's prolonged absence and she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"Turn off your lights!" she whispered harshly. Kelly and Kris quickly followed suit, stuffing their flashlights into the waistband of their jeans. Their carefree evening was over. All three girls were frightened now, tense and anxious, their breathing just as quick as their racing hearts. They stood stock still, unsure of how to proceed.

Kelly suddenly whirled around with a startled gasp and stumbled back into her two friends. She immediately began to frantically push them towards the protective shadow of a gnarled old tree. "Someone's coming!" she hissed. "Get out of sight!"

The three girls scrambled backwards behind the old tree and waited with baited breath for signs of someone approaching. Kelly's intuition proved to be correct an instant later, when the distant sound of rapid footsteps plowing their way through the underbrush came floating from their left. The girls pressed their backs against the rough surface of their tree and strained their ears. The distant sound of leaves crunching and twigs snapping grew louder and louder as the unidentified person trampled closer. Harsh female breathing came into their ears just before the dark silhouette of a slim woman came through the thick brush. Her moves were erratic and careless. She stumbled, fell to one knee and immediately righted herself, obviously desperate to escape whatever was pursuing her and not caring how much noise she made in the process. The dark shadow paused for a moment, whirled around frantically as if deciding which direction to take, and then lunged in the direction of their tree.

As she came closer, the girls' previous hope that the dark figure was Jill, quickly dissipated. She was shorter than Jill, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt as opposed to Jill's long sleeved tee, her movements not as graceful, and most telling, she was not in possession of Jill's usual calm control in the face of danger. This girl was scared out of her mind.

The girls shared a quick look, mutually deciding to help her, and then pushed themselves out of their hiding place into the path of the oncoming girl.

At the sudden appearance of three people, the girl shrieked, and stumbled backwards out of sheer surprise. She lost her balance and went sprawling to the ground. Sabrina and Kelly immediately rushed to her side and misunderstanding their intentions, the girl began screaming and flailing her arms.

"Let me go!" she shrieked.

"Hey! Calm down!" Sabrina hissed to the struggling girl. "We're trying to help you!"

"Get off of me!" the girl continued to yell. Kelly grabbed her from behind in an effort to stop her thrashing long enough to realize that they meant to help. The girl screamed her high pitched piercing scream again and Sabrina instinctively lurched forward and clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Shh! We're trying to he-"

The rest of her reassurance dissolved into a string of curse words. The girl had broken free of Kelly's grip and punched Sabrina solidly in the face. Sabrina toppled backwards, cupping her nose in both hands and cursing unintellibly through her fingers. Kris scrambled to her side, leaving Kelly to deal with the hapless victim.

"We're trying to help!" Kelly grunted through clenched teeth, as she wrestled with the terrified girl. The girl wrenched an arm free and made a desperate wild swing at Kelly's head. Having learned her lesson from Sabrina a few seconds ago, Kelly dodged, grabbed the girls arm and used her momentum to swing her to the floor. Once down, she sat on top of her, pinning her to the floor and in one fluid motion, twisted her arm behind her back and grabbed the back of her neck to force her head still. The girl yelped in protest, but the fight was over. Now in control, Kelly bent her head to the girl's ear.

"I am just about to lose my patience with you." she hissed. "Stop trying to kill me, I'm going to help you."

The girl stopped struggling and lay panting in the dirt for a moment before answering.

"What?" she breathed fearfully. "Who are you?"

Kelly sighed. "My name is Kelly. That's Kris, and the one whose nose you just broke is Sabrina. We're not going to hurt you, alright? Calm down."

The girl lay quietly, still panting loudly as her frazzled mind considered Kelly's revelation.

"Ok." she whimpered finally. "Ok, I'll stop."

Kelly let her up and looked to where Kris was peeling Sabrina's hands away from her face. Sabrina finally relented and revealed a steady stream of blood trickling down her chin. Kris winced and turned to Kelly for help.

Kelly sighed. "You ok, Bri?" she asked wearily.

Sabrina tilted her head back and tried to wipe up the blood with her sleeve. "Terrific." she muttered. Kris smiled and gave her friend an understanding pat on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry." the girl whispered quickly. "I thought you were him." She looked nervously around the forest and then suddenly jumped to her feet. "Look, we have to get out of here, they'll be here any second."

Kelly grabbed her arm. "Who?" she demanded.

The girl let out an anxious moan and covered her face with her free hand. "Gary and his friends. We have to go, they're trying to kill me!" she cried desperately. "Please!"

All four women turned as a rustling came from behind them. The unmistakable sound of male voices floated over their hurried footsteps.

"It's them!" the girl whispered in terror. She jerked her arm out of Kelly's grip and bolted, tearing through the woods just as loudly as before. Kelly watched her helplessly, and then began to realize that they had just stumbled onto someone else's extremely bad situation.

"I'm really starting to wish I had my gun." Kelly said nervously.

Kris ran a hand through her hair and gave a shaky laugh. "I don't suppose there are any gun trees out here, are there?" she joked nervously. Sabrina and Kelly tilted their heads and stared at her. Punishment would have to wait until a more convenient time, however. They settled for a sad shake of their heads.

"I do have my pocket knife with me." Sabrina offered, her face brightening at the thought. Kelly and Kris groaned and shared a look. They had just watched their friend spend at least fifteen minutes trying to get the dull, flimsy blade to cut through a tangled nylon strap earlier in the day.

"Oh, Bri, I could do more damage with my teeth." Kelly muttered in defeat. The three girls shared a knowing look and shook their heads. They had just gotten themselves in trouble, deep in the woods where help was miles away. Jill had been missing over half an hour.

And they were unarmed.

"Let's get out of here." Kris said quickly. She helped Kelly pull Sabrina to her feet and the three shuffled back into the protective shadow of their tree.

"I don't know what's going on, but we have to find Jill." Kris whispered anxiously as they walked. Sabrina nodded and patted her shoulder. "We will, Kris." she answered quietly, her bleeding nose still buried in the crook of her arm. The faint voices drew closer, becoming more and more intelligible as they did. The girls huddled behind their tree.

"I just hope we're the first ones that do." Kelly whispered softly. Sabrina and Kris glanced at her and then turned their attention to the same collection of brush that the girl had come from moments before. The voices grew to loud shouts as two men came crashing through them. Bright flashlight beams swept across the dirt and inches from the girls' feet as the men scoured the area, forcing them to scoot away and flatten themselves as out of sight as possible.

"Where'd she go?" one of the men growled in frustration, breathing heavily from exertion.

The two men looked around, their loud ragged breathing betraying their anger and desperation. They were looking for that girl and it was plain that their intentions were less than civil. The three girls glanced nervously at each other, feeling trapped and off guard.

"This way." The shorter of the two panted. He pointed towards the girl's tree and the two men rushed past, wheezing and cursing under their breath. The hidden girls held their breath as they watched them go.

"Let's get back to our camp, call the cops, and get our guns. We can still help her if we move quick enough." Sabrina whispered, once the men were out of earshot.

"This way." Kris answered tersely. "I don't think we want to run into whoever she's running from."

Kelly and Sabrina nodded in agreement and the girls crept away through the dense underbrush, enduring painful scratches and bumps in the darkness because flashlights were now out of the question.

Sabrina suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Bri-" Kris started, but Sabrina held up a hand to silence her. "Someone's coming. Listen." she whispered quietly. The three girls crouched down and strained their ears in the darkness. Again, their glimmer of hope that they would soon be reunited with Jill flickered and then died within a few seconds. The footsteps and the breathing were both heavy, winded, and decidedly male.

"Don't move. Let him pass us." Sabrina breathed, protectively gripping the sleeves of both of her friends.

The girls would again have gone unnoticed, just another unseen secret of the forest, had they not heard the same terrified scream yet again. Only this time a few yards separated them from it's source.

"Hey!" a man's gruff voice called out in surprise. There was the sound of a scuffle, the same girl cursing and yelling, desperately trying to free herself.

"I got her!" the man's voice called out, no doubt to his unsavory companions the girls had just seen. The three girls watched in horrified silence as the two dark figures wrestled just a stone's throw away.

"We have to do something!" Kelly whispered anxiously. She restlessly patted her knees and then whirled around to her friends, her eyes asking for support. Sabrina nodded and quickly rose to her feet, her long legs already striding towards the struggle right behind Kelly.

Kelly beat her by less than a second, but made it count. She launched herself off of the ground and went sailing in the air, all her weight connecting solidly with the taller shadow's upper body. She was slender, but her one hundred and twenty pounds was more than enough to render her victim off balance. His ankle twisted, he lost his footing, and the two went crashing to the ground in a tangled heap.

Sabrina and Kris took advantage of the precious few seconds of confusion they still had over him. As the three girls struggled to subdue the deceptively strong man, the girl they had just saved watched in stunned silence. The man's dropped flashlight illuminated her auburn hair and shocked features, giving the girls their first real look at her.

"Run!" Sabrina shouted to the terrified girl. "Get out of here!"

The girl's eyes flitted back and forth, registering Sabrina's order but unable to tear herself away. Currently flung away from the fight, Kris rushed toward her and grabbed her arm.

"Come on!" she yelled at the petrified girl. Whether it was Kris's shout or her rough yanking of her arm, the girl wasn't sure. But something snapped her out of her spell and with Kris halfway dragging her, the two girls sprinted away from the scuffle.

The element of surprise gave Kelly and Sabrina an advantage, but only a temporary one. Their opponent was stocky and strong and now that he was on his feet and fully aware of what was going on, fending off two women half his size was not a challenge. The fight turned tides within a few moments.

Luckily the goal was not to win the fight.

Kelly watched Kris crash through the dense bushes, the auburn haired girl dragged behind her and though she had just been knocked to the ground, felt a keen sense of triumph.

"Bri! Now!" she shouted. She scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could. Her flying tackle had given her a momentary advantage to a fight, but along with that, had also given her a very sore shoulder. Kris couldn't have dragged that girl away a moment too soon.

Sabrina managed to pull herself away as well, and together the two girls raced through the woods, headed in what they hoped was the direction Kris had taken. Branches snagged in their clothes and hair and slapped their faces as they ran, but the girls ignored the abuse. It was time to get out of here and if a few scratches on their face meant that they could accomplish that all the more quickly, then so be it.

"Which way?" Kelly gasped, frantically looking in every direction for a sign of Kris.

Sabrina grabbed her arm and yanked her slightly off course to the safety of a dense pocket of trees. "This way!" she called. She didn't have any better idea than Kelly did, but if Kelly wanted her to take the lead, then she would. Though her direction was a complete guess, it turned out to be their first bit of luck since Jill left to gather firewood forty five minutes earlier. The girls were rewarded with the sight of Kris and the new girl's backs in the dim moonlight, as they raced as fast as they could towards their camp.

But just as soon as their good luck came, a bit of bad luck immediately overshadowed it. There was not even time to shout out a warning to Kris and her companion.

Two men suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and without time to react, the two girls in the lead slammed right into them. The men wasted no time in reaching down and getting a firm hold on their struggling victims.

Kelly and Sabrina could only watch in horror as one of the men brutally struck the auburn haired girl in the face with his flashlight. She yelped in pain and crumpled to the ground unconcious. Kris fared slightly better, managing to put up enough of a fight that the man that held her was forced to drop his light to restrain her. Sabrina and Kelly continued toward them, still running full tilt in the faint hope that these two men could be surprised as well. The hope lasted until one of the men pulled out a gun.

"Stop right there!" one of the men barked. He had arm tightly hooked around Kris's neck. She kicked and thrashed, unmindful of his weapon, but wasn't strong enough to even faze him. Feeling helpless, Sabrina and Kelly shared a look and slowed to halt, their hands raised in surrender.

"Let me go!" Kris grunted angrily, still fighting. Her captor shook her angrily, his rough treatment making Sabrina and Kelly's blood boil.

"Kris, just do what he says!" Sabrina called out. "It's alright."

Kris looked furious, but stopped struggling. Her captor laughed. "Hey, smart girl." he taunted. He looked back at Kelly and Sabrina and waved his gun at them.

"Lie down. Now." he ordered.

The girls shared a look and then grudgingly did as they were told. Both felt a heavy sense of dread. This was it, they were captured and only Jill remained.

Wherever she was.

"Hey, it's a slumber party!" a mocking voice came from behind them. Sabrina and Kelly didn't have to turn to realize that it was the voice of the man they had surprised a few minutes earlier. His heavy footsteps walked right up to them and stood in front of their faces. Their gazes fixed on his dirty shoes. "You girls got no manners." he said, with a disapproving click of his tongue.

His big foot shot out and stomped painfully on Sabrina's outstretched hand. She yelped and quickly drew her injured hand through the dirt to her chest. Both girls lay panting quietly, fearing a retaliation if they so much as moved.

"Not much now, are you?" the man sneered, giving Kelly an angry kick to her sore shoulder. She winced but didn't cry out. The stocky man was still wheezing from his sprint, and that offered a bit of consolation to the defeated detectives.

"That's enough, Emmitt. Tie them up." the man holding Kris ordered.

Sabrina and Kelly winced in pain as the two men squatted beside them and roughly lashed their wrists together behind their backs with a length of rope. Once restrained, the men pulled them to their feet, being sure to keep the gun visible in case the girls happened to forget how much danger they were in. The stocky Emmitt shoved the girls over towards Kris, who also had her hands tied behind her back. The auburn haired girl was seemingly unconscious on the floor beside her, her wrists bound as well, though she showed no signs of waking.

The situation was not improving in the slightest.

"Where is your camp?" one of the men demanded loudly. The way he spoke and carried himself indicated that he might be the one in charge

"Over by the police station. Just follow us." Kelly snapped sarcastically, helplessness frustrating her to the point of anger.

The man slapped her across the face before she realized he had moved at all.

"I wouldn't be cute if I was you, sweetheart!" he warned angrily.

"You wouldn't be cute no matter what." Kelly shot back. The man narrowed his eyes, then suddenly grabbed Kelly's shoulder and drove a fist into her stomach. She gasped in pain and doubled over to her knees, coughing and struggling to breathe. Sabrina quickly dropped to her knees by her side.

"Will you shut up?!" she hissed in her ear. "You're going to get us killed!"

"Are you finished?" the man in charge asked menacingly.

"She's finished." Kris said quickly, looking down in concern at her friend. Sabrina stood up and nudged Kelly with her foot to get her to stand as well. Kelly glared at the man and slowly pushed herself to her feet.

"Now, you're going to lead us back to your camp." the man repeated. He paused and stared at Kelly as if daring her to say something. She didn't plan to, but Sabrina gave her a discreet kick in the shin anyway just in case "Lead the way, ladies."

Left with no other choice, the girls looked around to get their bearings and started walking east with Sabrina and Kelly in the lead and Kris closely behind him. The three men took up the rear, the unconscious auburn haired girl slung over one of their shoulders.

"Are we really taking them back to our camp?" Kelly whispered.

Sabrina shook her head. "I don't know what else to do, Kell. If they think we're playing them, they'll probably kill us."

"I think they plan to do that anyway." Kris muttered glumly. A hand pressed itself between her shoulder blades and she was shoved forward roughly by one of the men behind her. She stumbled forward, but caught her balance.

"No talking, ladies." a deep voice behind them growled.

The girls shared an irritated look, but walked in silence through the dark woods toward their camp. Though it seemed that they had been wandering the dark forest for hours, it didn't take long before the constant trees began to thin out. The men's flashlight beams suddenly reflected off of the white paint of Jill's car. They had arrived. The girls looked around their once cheerful and inviting campsite. Their fire had completely burned out in their absence and because it was on a slight incline, Jill and Kris's tent had blown over and flattened sadly on its side. The site of so many happy laughs and carefree conversations looked sullen and dark now, like an abandoned ghost town.

The men pushed them forward and forcibly sat them down next to the remains of their fire. The auburn haired girl was dropped unceremoniously at their feet, and with a threatening glare, the three men walked the short distance to Jill's car and began speaking in hushed tones, periodically glancing at their four prisoners.

"What do we do?" Kris asked softly.

Kelly shook her head. "I don't know, but we need to figure something out fast."

Kris suddenly looked like she wanted to cry. She stared between her two friends with a sudden urgent look on her face. "My sister. Do you think they-?" she said, trailing off.

"No." Sabrina answered immediately. "They would have said something."

"She's smart, Kris." Kelly offered helpfully. "She's probably hiding out looking for a way to get us out of this. She'll help us as soon as she figures something out."

Kris studied her face for a moment, looking for a sign that her friend's words were only empty means of comfort. She didn't find it. Kelly was confident in her sister's safety and abilities.

The thought made her feel better.

"I hope you're right." Kris sighed.

A sharp crack caused all three girls to jerk their heads up in surprise. A tennis ball size rock bounced off of the charred wood of their former fire and rolled to a stop between Sabrina's feet. One of the men had thrown a rock at them.

"I said no talking!" the man in charge shouted. They had only heard his gravely voice a few times, but already they hated the sound of girls glared at him through the darkness, but stopped their conversation. With a sigh of defeat, they looked at each other and then back down at the ground. There wasn't much they could do but wait for Jill. If she was still out there and able to help. Kris swallowed, hoping to relieve the unpleasant taste in her mouth, and looked into the dark mass of trees, hoping for any sign of her sister. She didn't see anything, but that didn't necessarily mean Jill wasn't out there waiting for a chance to act.

Hopefully, Sabrina and Kelly were right.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jill crept noiselessly through the brush towards the wavering beams of light. For the past few minutes, the bright lights had stopped bouncing up and down through the trees and bushes and now seemed to be swinging idly, neither changing directions nor getting farther away.

They must have stopped.

Jill crouched to a stop just before the woods broke through into the small clearing where her and her companions had been enjoying a carefree evening less than an hour ago. Things had drastically altered so quickly for them, Jill felt like her head was spinning.

And it probably wasn't even the alcohol.

She swallowed and eased her long, slender body to a laying position on her stomach below the protective cover of some low hanging willow leaves and listened carefully. The men were talking, close enough to hear their voices but much too far away for her to have any hope of understanding what they were saying. Her sister and two friends were sitting huddled together next to the cold ashes of their campire beside the unconscious form of another woman who she could only guess was the mysterious screamer.

She watched them, only barely able to make out who was who in the moonlight. Their silhouettes looked cold and uncomfortable and Jill felt a tinge of resentment that their captors lacked the decency to even light the fire for them. A loud thud put her immediately on guard, every muscle in her body tensed and ready to run in case she was spotted. It didn't take complete sobriety to realize that she was their last hope.

"No talking!" the disembodied voice of one of the men came echoing towards her ears. Jill relaxed slightly. He had been yelling at her friends and judging by the way all three of them had flinched, had probably thrown something at them as well. Her jaw clenched in anger. He'd better not hurt them, she thought angrily.

Unsure of what to do, Jill lay quietly in her hiding spot, anxiously watching her friends. Several minutes later a bright beam of light illuminated her friends faces, startling her from her trance. Jill tried to calm her fluttering heart and focus on what was happening. Obviously, she hadn't been seen or the light would be brightening her hiding place, right in her eyes, she told herself reassuringly. Still, it was hard to relax.

Heart hammering in her chest, Jill stared at her friends. She quickly realized the occasion for the light. The mysterious girl was awakening, using Kelly to steady herself as she pulled her body to a sitting position. Jill quickly scanned her friend's faces, taking an opportunity in the light to look for signs of injury. From what she could see, they seemed unhurt save for Sabrina, who had blood glistening wetly on her mouth and chin. Jill felt her stomach lurch. The blood was a chilling and very real reminder of just how severe their situation had gotten. These men weren't playing around. Someone could get killed.

The blood on her best friend's face also put a desperate sense of urgency in her. She had to help them. She lay still, racking her brain for any way she could get her friends out of this mess. Both the phone and her gun were locked uselessly inside her car, completely out of reach. And even if they were, the key was in her tent. Jill sighed in frustration. The only other option was to run away and call for help, but the thought of abandoning her sister and friends here with these madmen was unbearable. If something happened, at least she was here to lend a last ditch helping hand and go down with them. She wouldn't be able to stand not knowing what had happened.

No, she'd stay with them. Figure something out.

Flickering lights and sudden movement caught her eye and she instantly flicked her gaze to the source. The auburn haired girl was rising to her feet, reluctantly pulled by one of the three men and lead towards Kelly and Sabrina's tent.

Jill shuddered, unsure what was going to happen to her. Her friends were captive and their hands were tied, but Jill was willing to wager that their helplessness didn't even begin to match her own.

She watched her friends for a few minutes longer, her head beginning to ache as she thought of a possible way to help them. If only she could let them know she was alright. The flashlight beams suddenly turned away, reducing her friends back to the vague outlines they had once been. Jill sighed, the lack of detail somehow troubling her. A wave of frustration and urgency seized her again and she restlessly pushed herself up to her knees.

What good was lying here in the dirt going to do them, she thought angrily. She began to grope around her hiding spot, looking for anything that would make a suitable weapon. Just as her fingers closed around a thick, heavy, tree root, the familiar sound of her car's engine made her jerk her head up in surprise. For the second time on this trip, bright headlights flooded her vision and she dropped down flat in panic. Jill lay absolutely still, save for her uncontrollable heavy breathing. They had gotten the keys to her car and turned it on. Would they leave with her friends and her sister, she thought with alarm. The sound of tires crunching over twigs and dirt snapped her back to attention. As her car turned, the bright lights turned with it, sweeping over the trees to her left. Jill blinked the bright spots from her eyes, temporarily blinded by the light and waited for her eyes to once again get adjusted to the darkness.

They were probably going to dump her car somewhere, she realized with increasing dread. That meant they were getting rid of evidence. Her friends were in terrible danger. Jill bit her lip as she watched two of the men drive away in her car. All three of their guns were in there and if she could only find it, she could arm herself and would be in a much better position to help.

The tires would surely leave a trail to follow. The men were in a hurry, they wouldn't go far, she reasoned to herself. And without realizing it, Jill had a plan. As soon as the car was out of sight, she pulled herself up and silently made her way through the trees and brush to where the car had disappeared. She followed the obvious trail of broken sticks and flattened grass. Jill swallowed the uncertainty as she tracked her own vehicle. She had no idea if this would work, there was so much that could go wrong. But whatever happened, there was at least one thing she knew for sure.

She could not get caught.

* * *

The auburn haired girl suddenly twitched and began to slowly move her cramped arms and legs. Her head was aching and she moaned as she opened her eyes and looked around her unfamiliar surroundings in confusion.

"Hey, don't move." Sabrina called softly to her.

The girl's head tossed around in confusion, trying to find the source of the voice. As she moved, she slowly began to realize that her hands her tied and began to thrash in panic.

"Hey, hey! It's ok! Calm down!" Sabrina tried again. "Stop making so much noise, you're drawing attention to yourself!"

The girl stopped struggling and rolled herself to face the voice.

"Just try to be calm. We'll figure something out." Kris said gently.

The girl looked at the three companions, sitting next to each other with their hands tied behind their backs. Understandably, she wasn't comforted by their reassurances. "Oh no." she muttered, closing her eyes in defeat. Tears began streaking a clean path through the film of dirt on her face.

"Hey come on, don't give up." Kris consoled her. "My sister is still out there somewhere, she can help."

"Have you seen her?" Kelly asked quickly. She tilted her head towards Kris. "She kinda looks like her, blonde hair, green shirt."

The girl shook her head and tried to compose herself. "No." she breathed. "I didn't see anybody."

Sabrina and Kelly shared a look.

"Well, she's still out there. Us two and her are private detectives." Sabrina explained, nodding towards Kelly and then the vague direction Jill had taken over an hour ago. "We can help you, just stay calm."

The girl nodded weakly, more tears streaking their way down her face.

"Are you hurt?" Kelly asked. "Can you sit up?"

The girl nodded again and squirmed over to her fellow prisoners. She winced in pain, but managed to pull herself into a sitting position, using Kelly as leverage.

"Sorry." she said quietly. Kelly smiled. "What's your name?" she asked gently.

The girl shook her head to get a few locks of auburn hair out of her face. "Laura." she answered.

"Nice to meet you, Laura." Sabrina said, putting on a reassuring smile.

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Is it? I find that hard to believe."

Sabrina laughed. "Well, not the way I would have picked, that's for sure." Her look turned serious. "Who are those men, Laura, and why are they after you?"

Laura bit her lip. "Gary. I-I don't know the other two. I mean I've seen them before, but I don't know them." she stammered, her voice cracking. She looked up at her three companions with fear and guilt clearly etched on her pretty features. "They're going to kill me." she whispered. "And probably you three too."

Sabrina shook her head. "No, they won't." she said confidently. "Why are they trying to kill you?"

Whatever answer Laura was about to give was interrupted by sudden blindingly bright light in their faces. The girls squinted their eyes and looked away uncomfortably. The beam of light swept over the four of them and stopped on Laura. The frightened young woman leaned away, trying unsuccessfully to hide behind Kelly. The beam stayed focused on her anyway and began to bob and sway as one of the men walked toward them. He flashed the light briefly over his face and grinned.

"Guess who?" he taunted her cruelly. He had been, up until that moment, merely a shadow and a voice to the girls. Had it not been for the sadistic glint in his eyes and the twisted smile, they might have found the tall, well built, shaggy haired man quite handsome.

"Gary, please." she whimpered. Gary, the man the girls had earlier decided was in charge, ignored her pleas and stopped in front of her.

"We need to talk, honey." he growled menacingly.

"Be brave. Help is coming." Kelly whispered discreetly in her ear, last second words of comfort. If Laura heard, she made no effort to show it. Gary roughly yanked her to her feet and led her away. They both disappeared inside Sabrina and Kelly's tent and the three girls held their breath, waiting for a scream or a gunshot. When Gary stepped out of the tent a few moments later, it did nothing to ease their fear. Had he killed her already? The uncertainty was almost suffocating.

Sabrina shifted slightly in a vain attempt to get more comfortable and suddenly realized something.

"Hey." she whispered excitedly. "I still have my knife in my pocket!"

Kelly and Kris lifted their heads and stared at her.

"Can you get to it?" Kris asked hopefully. At the same time, Kelly voiced her concern.

"Will it even cut anything?"

Sabrina scowled at her traitorous best friend. "Yes, it will cut." she said in indignation. She leaned against Kris for support as she squirmed around to pull the knife from her back pocket. A few frustrating moments later, she was rewarded with a soft thud as the little blade wiggled free from her pocket and fell to the dirt behind her. Kris and Kelly watched her face light up triumphantly and then sudden turn to a grimace of pain.

"What?" Kris asked in concern.

Sabrina winced. "I cut my finger trying to open it."

Kelly shook her head. "I'm surprised." she said drolly. She scooted backwards and turned her body in preparation for taking Sabrina's knife and cutting her free.

"That looks really suspicious." Kris whispered nervously. Sabrina and Kelly paused and then grudgingly realized that their friend was right. They moved back to their previous positions.

"I can do it, Kell." Sabrina whispered. She squirmed for a few moments trying to get the knife at the proper angle and then smiled. "Ok, here we go." she said. Her face screwed up in concentration as she fidgeted with the cheap knife.

Kris and Kelly could only wait.

All three girls froze as the sound of a car door opening. They felt their blood turn to ice. So busy had they been watching Sabrina struggle with the ropes, that they hadn't noticed the men loading their things into Jill's trunk. The trio shared a look. The men were getting rid of evidence and there was only one logical reason as to why.

Sabrina quickly returned to cutting her bonds.

A few moments later, Jill's car started and rumbled off through the path that the girls had taken the night before. For a moment, there was a brief ray of hope that the men had just abandoned them for dead. But the ray of hope was quickly dimmed by the bright ray of light once again invading their eyes.

Someone had been left behind to guard them.

The girls sighed inwardly. At least there was only one of them now. They watched in tense silence as he came toward them.

The man revealed himself to be the mean, stocky Emmitt. He sneered at them as he approached and sat down heavily across from them on a big log that the girls had dragged over to serve as a bench earlier that day. Sabrina was forced to stop her fidgeting and hold her knife still to avoid being caught. Still glaring at his prisoners, Emmitt angrily set a CB radio by his side, wedged his flashlight in a knothole, and rested his gun in his lap. In the soft white light, the girls were able to see his face. He wasn't nearly as good looking as Gary. Middle aged, stocky and powerful looking, he reminded them of a retired athlete. His beady eyes seemed to be to be set too far apart in his head and his muscular shoulders gave the illusion of him having no neck. He sighed loudly in irritation, puffing out his cheeks as he did.

It made him look like a bullfrog.

"Gary says I should stay here and watch you." he grumbled. Clearly, this had not been his idea and he was not happy with it. The girls shared a look, all thinking the same thing. Their escape meant that Sabrina had to cut through her ropes without being detected. And that was impossible with one of the captors sitting four feet away. Sabrina clenched her teeth in frustration, feeling the weight of her knife in her hands. Her palms began to sweat. This dull knife was their only lifeline and now it was rendered useless.

Kelly nudged Sabrina gently with her foot and shot her a grin that Sabrina didn't immediately understand.

"So you're our babysitter then?" she asked sweetly. Emmitt picked up his head and glared at her. For obvious reasons, Kelly was by far his least favorite of the three campers.

"Shut up." he snapped.

Kelly shrugged. "I'm just trying to make conversation." she said innocently, scooting away from her friends. "I get bored."

Sabrina suddenly realized what her friend was doing and smiled inside. Kelly was distracting him, giving her a chance to work the ropes without detection, and so far, it seemed to be working. Emmitt was warily watching Kelly's every move. She slowly began working her knife again, being careful to move as little as possible.

"I don't want to make conversation with you." Emmitt sneered. "Shut up."

Kelly put a hurt look on her face. "You tie us up, you steal our car, you ruin our camping trip. Can't you at least tell us why?" As she talked, she scooted farther and farther away from her friends in the pretense of moving closer to Emmitt. "Come on." she pressed. "Your buddies aren't here to judge."

Emmitt jumped to his feet and feigned a lunge at her. "I said to shut up!"

Kelly flinched but kept her composure. "Ok, fine. I was just trying to help pass the time until your friends get back from dumping our stuff." she said casually.

Emmitt glared at her. These girls appeared to know what was going to happen to them and he was still mildly surprised that they were as calm as they were. Most young women their age would be begging, pleading, and crying uncontrollably. The fact that they weren't made him very uncomfortable; it wasn't what he was used to. They also appeared to be able to hold their own in a fight. It was good they would soon be rid of them because he couldn't help but to think of these three girls as a serious threat. He let his gaze drift to the other two and wondered what the nagging voice in the back of his head was trying to tell him.

Like a flash, it came to him.

He had helped load four backpacks and sleeping bags into the car and there were three girls. His head immediately snapped back up, his eyes blazing with anger.

"There's another one of you!" he spat. "Where is she?"

His sudden and true accusation surprised the girls, but they had the presence of mind to not give any outward signs of their shock or his accuracy.

Sabrina scoffed at him. "No there's not. It's just us three."

He leaned forward until he was inches from Sabrina's face and raised his clenched fist threateningly in front of her. "Where is your friend?" he asked menacingly.

He was standing much too close to her, Kelly thought in panic. Desperate to get attention away from Sabrina and the knife in her hand, she suddenly shot her foot out and kicked the stocky man in the shin. "It's just us three, you little toad!" she yelled angrily. He whirled around, grabbed a handful of Kelly's shirt, and roughly flung her sideways to the ground. Kris and Sabrina watched with a pained look on their face, but didn't try to interfere.

They knew exactly what she was doing.

"You better watch yourself, you little bitch!" he warned heatedly. Kelly sat up on her elbows and glared defiantly back at him.

"I'm the little bitch?" she challenged. "I think you're wearing that hat right now, toad."

The shorter man ignored her taunting and pointed in the direction the car had taken. "There's four backpacks and three of you." he pointed out in a quiet, seething voice.

Kelly made a mocking face at him. "Oh, you must be the brains of the group."

The man's face turned bright red and he kicked a stick into her feet. "I know there's one more of you! You can't fool me, I know there is!" he shouted, fighting to reign in his temper.

Kelly let out a contemptuous little laugh. "Woman's intuition?" she asked innocently. Emmitt's face darkened in rage and he yanked Kelly up by the front of her shirt, swung his hand in a wide arc, and slapped her brutally across the face. Kelly's head rocked to the side and she landed hard in the dirt, her head narrowly missing Kris's knee. The sickening feeling of helplessness rolled its way through Kris and Sabrina as they watched, hoping that their friend wouldn't get hurt.

"Kelly, stop it!" Kris whispered in a panicky, shaky voice. Kelly eased herself back up into a sitting position and coughed, spitting the dirt out of her mouth. Before she could reassure her friend, Emmitt grabbed her again.

"Now you shut the hell up or there'll be plenty more where that came from." he threatened, pushing his fist into Kelly's face. Kelly angrily pulled away from him and to disguise her attempt to check on Sabrina's progress, spit out some more dirt over her shoulder and then smirked at him.

"Yes, ma'am." she panted sarcastically.

The stocky man raised his fist to strike her again and then lowered it, taking a deep calming breath. She wasn't going to rattle him.

All four turned as the radio crackled and buzzed. "Emmitt!" Gary's staticky voice called from the radio. Emmitt glared back at the four girls, grabbed it up and took a few steps away to answer back. "Yeah!" he grumbled into the the reciever.

"Tear down that campsite completely!" the demanding voice barked. "Save one of the tents."

"Why?" Emmitt asked, mildly annoyed at being ordered about. There was no response.

"Hey, I think there's another girl somewhere out here." he said. He waited about fifteen seconds for any kind of answer to his news and then tossed the radio down in disgust.

"Doesn't matter. Not like she can help you anyway." he sneered at the four girls as he pushed himself up to his feet. Muttering to himself, he wandered over to the fallen tent and began to hastily crumple it into a portable wad. The girls watched him go. He was still in view and keeping an eye on them, but probably couldn't hear them talk.

"How you doing on the rope, Bri." Kelly asked quickly.

"Almost got it." Sabrina muttered through her clenched teeth. She shook her head as she took in the visible red mark on her friend's cheek. "I don't much care for your distraction techniques though."

"Yeah, Kell. Is it possible to get his attention without getting any bruises to go with it?" Kris whispered.

Kelly shrugged. "It's not so bad. It's rattling him. He'll make a mistake."

"He'll make you black and blue." Kris shot back.

Kelly opened her mouth to answer and then shut it and turned away. He was coming back. Though Sabrina had quickly shifted to a less conspicuous position the second she noticed their warden returning, she hadn't been quick enough. Emmitt narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What the hell are you doing?" he muttered, stalking towards Sabrina. Kelly and Kris shared a quick panicked look. They had to do something.

"Hey, nothing." Sabrina laughed. "Just trying to get comfortable."

"She's wondering if you stole the makeup out of her backpack, toad." Kelly blurted out. Emmitt immediately froze, his shoulders stiffening in anger. Kelly was quickly getting on his last nerve.

"I said for you to shut the hell up!" he spat, kicking up a spray of dirt at her. "You're going to get hurt."

Kelly flinched and turned away from the gritty assault. Afterwards, she turned back to him with a smile. "I was just kidding." she laughed. "I heard what your boss said." She grinned pleasantly. "You're very obedient."

Emmitt pursed his lips, his face darkening and his eyes blazing murderously. Kris shot Sabrina a pleading look. "Hurry!" she mouthed. Emmitt was about to lose his temper. Sabrina closed her eyes and worked the dull knife as quickly as she could. Almost there.

"Shut up." he warned viciously, pointing a finger in her face.

Kelly shrugged her shoulders, looking confused. "What? It was a compliment. You're obedient." she explained innocently. A sly grin crossed her face.

"I bet your boyfriend loves that about you."

Emmitt let out a loud stream of curses and lunged forward, murder in his eyes. He yanked Kelly off of the ground and forced her backwards against a nearby tree.

"I said shut the fuck up!" he screamed at her. Kelly braced herself as he slammed her back against the tree trunk as hard as he could. He began to wail away at her, the stream of profanities still steadily coming from his mouth and accented each blow. Kelly turned and curled herself into a ball, letting her back and shoulders take the brunt of the assault without a sound.

"Hurry, Bri!" Kris whispered harshly, turning to watch the attack with helpless eyes.

Sabrina moaned in frustration, twisting her upper body to get a better angle. "I'm trying! I'm trying!"

A few moments later, Emmitt finally decided that Kelly had had enough and the dull thudding of his fists against his victim's body stopped. Still cursing, he roughly dragged Kelly back to her friends and flung her to the ground. He pinned her to the floor with his foot and reaching over, snatched up a shirt that had fallen from one of the girls' backpacks. Emmitt rolled it up, yanked Kelly's head off of the floor and roughly forced it in her mouth, securing it behind her head as tightly and viciously as he could. He gave her an angry smack to the side of the head and threw her to the floor beside Kris.

"Now maybe you'll shut your goddamned mouth!" he hissed at her, sending another spray of dirt and gravel in her and Kris's direction. Kelly shut her eyes and lay quietly, too dazed to respond.

Emmitt smiled cruelly at her. "Nothin' smart to say, honey?" he sneered. He kicked up a clod of dirt at her. "No? Nothing?"

Kelly winced and lifted her head, glaring at him defiantly as he approached. Desperate to help, Kris suddenly kicked her legs and scooted herself in front of her friend.

"Hey, c'mon, she's had enough!" she begged helplessly.

Emmitt laughed. "Shut up." he said dismissively. He looked over Kris's shoulder to where Kelly was now propped up on her elbows. He stalked directly in front of Kris and leaned over, completely ignoring her, though she did her best to block her friend from his reach, wincing in anticipation of being struck for her defiance.

"Go on." he taunted Kelly in a mock sympathetic voice, cupping his hand to his ear. "Got nothing to say now? Huh?"

A metallic click of a bullet being chambered made him whirl around in surprise. The blood drained from his face when he realized he was staring down the barrel of his own gun.

"I got something to say." Sabrina said coldly.

Emmitt's eyes bugged out of his head in shock. He had been so busy with the smart mouthed girl, that he had stupidly left his gun sitting within reach of one of his prisoners. It had never occurred to him that any of them could untie themselves. Now it was too late.

Gary was going to kill him.

"Get away from them." Sabrina ordered. She was aiming Emmitt's gun directly at his head, her stance that of a professional. It was more than obvious to him that this girl knew how to use his weapon and her furious expression told him that she wouldn't hesitate to do so. Emmitt wisely raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey, I was joking." he said nervously. "I wasn't gonna hurt her."

Sabrina gave him the same look of absolute disgust that she would give a smashed bug under her shoe. "Shut up." she spat at him. Her eyes darted to where Kris was leaning over Kelly in concern. "Kell, you alright?" she called.

Kelly nodded and called out a muffled affirmation, giving a reassuring grin through her gag. Sabrina smiled at her and turned her eyes back to the still shocked Emmitt.

"Let's go. Move it." she ordered tersely, gesturing for him to move away. She circled around, forcing him back, until she was standing beside her two friends.

"Lie facedown in the dirt, toad." she ordered angrily. Emmitt grudgingly complied, his pride not worth an extra hole in his face. Still keeping the gun trained on him, Sabrina knelt down and gently pulled the gag from Kelly's mouth. Kelly coughed and worked her jaw in relief.

"You sure you're ok?" Sabrina asked, her eyes flicking back to Emmitt.

"Fine, Bri." Kelly breathed.

"Good." Sabrina answered. She scowled and then gave Kelly a smart swat to the back of the head. Kelly flinched in surprise.

"What was that for?!" she asked in bewilderment.

Sabrina pointed a stern finger in her face. "For your big mouth!" she snapped. Kelly sighed and laid her head back in the dirt, too tired to argue. With one eye on Emmitt, Sabrina reached over and began working the knots tying Kris's hands. Her bonds soon came loose and she sat up and gratefully rubbed her sore wrists. Sabrina gave her an affectionate pat on the back. "Alright, kiddo?"

"Will be as soon as we get out of here." Kris answered, nodding her head. She quickly crawled over to Kelly and began to untie her friend's hands. As she did, Sabrina took the rope that had been restraining Kris and knelt down next to Emmitt.

"Not much now are you?" she said with a grin, echoing his previous words. Emmitt glared furiously at her, but knew better than to resist as she tied his hands behind his back. To add insult to injury, she made sure to treat him as gently as he had treated Kelly.

"Ow!" Emmitt yelped as Sabrina tightened his bonds with a final tug.

"Shut up." Sabrina repeated wearily. She finished her knot and then stood and wiped her hands on her jeans. "Alright, let's get Laura, find Jill, and get the hell out of here."

Sabrina and Kris helped Kelly to her feet and the three girls walked to the forboding looking tent where Laura had been taken, instinctively slowing down as they got closer. They hadn't heard a sound from her yet and that fact unnerved them. The girls shared a quick look and Sabrina took a deep breath and reached out to pull open the tent flap, hoping against hope that poor Laura was alright.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sabrina poked her head into the once cozy tent where she had slept the previous night. It was far more nerve-wracking now than it had been earlier. She scanned the small area and settled on a shadowy figure curled into a ball in the far corner. Sabrina strained her eyes and waited anxiously for any signs of life from it. When a few seconds had gone by without any motion, she swallowed hard and stepped inside. Her muscles tensed as she approached Laura's motionless body. Was she still alive, she thought nervously?

"Hey." Sabrina whispered gently, laying a trembling hand on the girl's knee. She had been hoping for movement, but the unexpected yelp of surprise caught her off guard. Just as startled as Laura, Sabrina jerked backwards.

Though not nearly in time to dodge the swift kick to her face.

Laura's foot caught her right across the jaw and she spun around and fell off balance to the dirt. Sabrina let out a loud curse as she clutched her throbbing cheek and pushed herself back to her knees, still muttering profanities. Laura stared at her in disbelief as she did, the cursing female voice revealing her intruder to be one of the campers.

"Kelly?" her thin, frightened voice answered in the darkness.

"I wish it had been." Sabrina muttered, rubbing her face.

Laura felt an instant surge of guilt. "Oh God, I'm so sorry." she gushed. "How- how did you get in here, what's going on?"

Sabrina worked her jaw, trying to ease the throbbing pain. "Two of them left and we took care of the other one." she explained. She gave her head one last shake and then quickly reached forward and began untying Laura's hands.

Laura decided not to voice any of the many questions running through her head. What did it matter how the three girls had overtaken their captor when bound and held at gun point? As long as they did, that was fine with her.

As soon as her hands were free, Laura bolted up right and scrambled to her feet. "Thank you so much." she said gratefully, grabbing hold of Sabrina's arm.

Sabrina patted her shoulder, the young woman's genuine gratitude momentarily overshadowing the fact that she had, in the span of an hour, struck her twice in the face.

"Don't thank us yet. We still have to get out of here with no car."

"Everything ok?"

Sabrina and Laura turned to see Kelly and Kris's worried faces peeking tentatively through the tent flap. "Yeah, Kell." Sabrina whispered, nodding her head. "Everything's fine, let's get out of here." With a reassuring smile, she took hold of Laura's elbow and pushed past the tent flap into the chilly night air.

Kelly and Kris crowded them as they emerged.

"Are you alright?" Kris asked in concern. Laura meekly nodded her head in response, still clutching Sabrina's sleeve.

Kelly gently pushed a crumpled shirt into Sabrina's face. "Here Bri, you're making me nervous with that blood on your face. Let's find Jill and the car." she said.

"Thank, Kell." Sabrina mumbled. She noticed the gun still in her hand and without thinking about it, handed it to Kris so she could clean herself up. Kris took it without a word and stuck it in the waistband of her jeans. The girls looked around for a moment and then collectively headed toward the direction Jill had disappeared earlier.

Sabrina busied herself wiping most of the blood off of her mouth and chin as the group walked. "Wait." she said, eyeing the yellow material with a frown. "Wasn't this in your mouth?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Not that long."

A savage growl made all four girls turn around. Emmitt was kicking and thrashing against the tight knots Sabrina had bound his hands with, cursing them loudly as he did.

"You won't get far!" he threatened. "We'll find you!"

Sabrina sneered at him. "Oh, you'll meet us again, that's for sure."

"In the meantime, have fun explaining this to your boss." Kelly called out cheerfully.

Emmitt shouted out some violent threats to them, redfaced and seething with rage. The girls enjoyed their gloating a few moments more and then turned to hurry into the protective cover of the forest.

Sabrina lead the way, still holding the shirt over her face. "She might have heard the screaming and tried to help and got lost, I think we sh-"

The dark forest was suddenly flooded with bright lights, cutting off Sabrina's musings in mid word. The girls froze in heart stopping terror.

A car had just rounded a dense thicket of trees, illuminating the campsite, the defeated Emmitt, and all four girls with its garishly bright headlights. The four girls stood rooted to their spots for a split second longer and then whirled around, colliding with each other in an attempt to get away.

"Run!" Sabrina shouted. Kelly was standing closest to her and Sabrina threw the shirt to the ground and grabbed her friend's arm to get her moving. Kris did the same with Laura and all four girls bolted.

In opposite directions.

The car noisily surged forward, bouncing loudly over the rocks and bumpy surface of the clearing. It squealed to a gravel spraying halt when it could go no farther in the brush. Before it had even completely stopped, the two front doors were thrown open and Gary and his unnamed accomplice leaped out, sprinting towards the girls the moment their feet touched the dirt.

Still caught in the headlights of the car, the girls became moving targets for the two mens' guns. Five shots rang through the air one after another as the two men made desperate bids to halt their fleeing prisoners. Bullets thudded into trees and zinged by the girl's heads as they flew towards freedom. Gary cursed loudly in outrage.

"Go get those two!" he snarled, roughly shoving his partner towards the direction Sabrina and Kelly had taken. The smaller man stumbled with the force of Gary's encouragement, regained his footing, and tore across the clearing, his eyes locked on the backs of the two brunettes. His flashlight beam bounced and bobbed erratically as they ran, trying desperately to keep the weaving girls in sight.

"Bri, this way!" Kelly gasped. She yanked Sabrina's sleeve and lunged towards a dense, vision obstructing thicket of low hanging tree limbs, hoping to discourage any more gunfire.

The girls slapped their way through, running full tilt and ignoring the frequent cuts and scratches the tree branches were leaving on their arms and faces. It wasn't necessary to turn around to see that Gary's henchman was still behind them. His large bulk was crashing noisily through the path the girls were leaving behind and his heavy breathing seemed to grow louder and louder in their ears. But the girls were in better physical shape than their pursuer and after a few terrifying minutes, both his flashlight beam and heavy grunts began fading farther and farther behind. Two more gunshots rang out uselessly followed by several choice words. He was acting out of desperation.

They were outrunning him.

Sabrina and Kelly didn't have time to enjoy this fact, however. They took the opportunity to put as much distance between them as possible and poured on as much speed as their legs could muster.

"I think…we're…losing him!" Kelly panted as they ran. Sabrina didn't answer, too winded to speak. The foliage they were running through began to thin out, making their flight much easier and less painful. Sabrina turned to get a glimpse over her shoulder. The lack of trees might make running easier, but it also did the same for the man chasing them and any bullets he might fire. She hadn't meant to slow down, but Kelly's sudden jerk on her arm told her she had anyway.

"Come on! We have to find somewhere to h-"

Kelly's words were cut off with a panicked shriek. She abruptly and unexpectedly pitched forward, flailing her arms wildly in a desperate attempt to keep her balance. Before the confusion had even a chance to set in Sabrina's brain, Kelly had unintentionally yanked her forward as well.

In the darkness, the sudden steep slope had been invisible to the sprinting detectives and their rapid forward momentum sent them careening off balance. They pedaled their legs furiously to keep from falling forward, but failed. The two girls bounced and tumbled down the slope, colliding with rocks, fallen branches and each other.

Sabrina tried her best to dig her fingers, palms, feet, elbows, anything she could, into the ground to slow her out of control slide, but nothing could be done. She could hear Kelly's pained gasps and yelps as she too helplessly skidded down the steep embankment. Sabrina's stomach did a flip as she suddenly felt herself go airborne.

The bizarre weightless feeling ended a second later, when she crashed to the forest floor, landing painfully on her chest and stomach and snapping her teeth shut with a loud, solid click. All of the air in her lungs whooshed out in a single gasp of pain as she collided with the ground and skidded an additional six feet with her momentum.

Dazed, Sabrina lay panting in the dirt, unable to breathe. Her teeth had snapped shut so abruptly that they had grazed her tongue. She felt her mouth begin to fill up with warm, metallic tasting liquid and she did her best to cough it out.

"Bri, are you alright?" Kelly's strained voice called to her. Unable to answer, Sabrina flitted her eyes in her direction, surprised to see Kelly recovered and kneeling so close. She felt Kelly quickly wrap her arms under her shoulders. "Come on!" Kelly grunted, as she pulled her face out of the dirt and dragged her backwards. Sabrina weakly pushed off of the ground with her feet, trying to help Kelly as best she could.

Kelly suddenly stopped and pulled her friend against her. "Shhh!" she warned, placing her hand lightly over Sabrina's mouth. Sabrina took a good look around. Kelly had dragged them into a crevice underneath the same hill that both had just tumbled down. If they were lucky, their pursuer wouldn't think to look back and see it. Both girls pressed themselves against the soft, sweet smelling earth wall behind them. For a moment, the only sound was their labored breathing. The stillness didn't last long. Faint footsteps followed a few seconds later that gave way to heavy crashing and finally the sickeningly familiar harsh, heavy breathing they had heard minutes ago. Either due to his flashlight or the fact that he wasn't moving as quickly as they had been, the big man had no trouble navigating the steep hill. He jogged down effortlessly and stopped a few feet past the bottom to sweep his light around the forest. Though the light never shined on the hidden girls, it was unnerving to see their pursuer so close to them. Had they wanted to commit suicide, they needed only to reach out a few feet and grab his leg. The big man restlessly shifted his weight from one leg to another as he continued hunting them out with his flashlight

Kelly unconsciously tightened her arms around her friend and the two frightened girls flattened themselves against the dirt and tried their best to quiet their breathing. The circle of light finished its circuit around the surrounding area in front of them and then ridiculously bounced up to the tops of the trees. Gary's henchman let out a loud curse and then lumbered forward, unaware that his prey had been four feet behind him the entire time.

The girls waited still and silent until long after his footsteps had faded from earshot. When the forest promised it had nothing else to offer but the occasional chirp from a cricket, Kelly relaxed her hold on her friend. Until she did, Sabrina hadn't realized how tightly she was squeezing her. She took her first deep breath in minutes and crawled out of Kelly's lap. The girls slumped in relief against the soft wall of their hiding place.

"Are you ok?" Kelly asked wearily, gently taking hold of her friend's arm.

Sabrina nodded her head and winced as she tried to change positions. "Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me." she muttered. "You?"

Kelly smiled. "I think I landed somewhere softer than you did. I'm fine."

Sabrina swiveled her head towards her friend. Kelly's face was streaked with dirt, there were leaves in her hair and a bloody scrape on her right cheek. A small trace of blood was visible under her nose and her clothes were dirty and torn. Sabrina sighed. If she looked worse than Kelly, she was certainly glad there wasn't a mirror around.

"We lost Kris and Laura." Sabrina said suddenly, realizing it as she did. Her and Kelly exchanged worried looks and then crawled out of their hiding place and slowly pushed themselves to their feet. Any bumps and bruises that went unnoticed as they hid in the little crevice revealed themselves now. The girls looked around uncertainly, wondering where to look. The urge to yell for their friends was strong, but doing so would broadcast their location to some extremely unwanted attention.

"Did you see which way they went?" Sabrina asked nervously.

Kelly shook her head and sighed in frustration. "No, I didn't. The lights- the car-…Damn it, I should've made sure we stayed together." she said bitterly, obviously upset with herself.

Sabrina patted her shoulder. "We. Don't take all the blame." she whispered. "Save some for me."

Kelly ran a nervous hand through her disheveled hair. "Fine. But that's not helping anything. We need to find them. And Jill." she added.

Sabrina nodded her head. "Don't worry, Kelly. We will." she said solemnly and then smiled. "Besides, Kris has the gun. She's probably doing better than we are."

Kelly gave her a weak smile. At least Kris wasn't completely defenseless. Sabrina looked around a second longer, and then guided her friend in her best guess as to the direction the two missing girls had taken.

* * *

"He's coming!" Laura wailed hysterically, as Kris jerked her along.

"Just keep running!" she shouted. "Don't look back!"

The two girls ran hand in hand with Gary quickly closing the gap between them, pelting their backs with loud curses and threats.

Of the three criminals the two girls had the unfortunate luck of having only a fifteen second head start ahead of the most athletic of them by far. To their horror, Gary's long legs and powerful strides were catching up in an impossibly short amount of time.

Sensing their desperate situation, Kris's mind began to frantically try to think of any possible means of escape. She quickly ran through a list of facts in her head. There were two of them and one of him. But he had a gun.

And so did she.

Kris gasped as she remembered the weapon Sabrina had absently handed to her right after going into the tent to check on Laura. She could still feel it as she ran, rubbing against the small of her back, a possible golden ticket to their way out of this mess. She jammed her heels into the ground to kill her speed and gave Laura a shove.

"Get down!" she ordered. Laura had no choice but to obey. Kris's shove had sent her off balance and toppling on her side to the ground. She immediately clambered to her feet, horrified at what her new acquintance was doing.

"What-" she cried in protest, but Kris cut her off.

"Just get down!" Kris snapped again, reaching for the gun. She had only fired a weapon a few times prior, but this gun was very similar to Jill's pistol and if there were bullets in it, she felt confident that she could make them count.

An instant later, Gary burst into sight and Kris whipped the gun up at him. "Stop!" she yelled angrily. Whether he didn't take her warning seriously or was going to fast to stop, he barreled right into her without slowing down. The force of his body slamming into hers set the gun off with a loud pop. A bullet whizzed by Gary's ear and lodged itself harmlessly into a nearby tree. The two crashed to the ground and rolled, trenching a path through the dirt and debris on the forest floor. Kris screamed and kicked frantically as they tumbled and as soon as the two came skidding to a stop, managed to get both feet planted firmly under Gary's chest and heaved him off of her.

Gary cursed as he fell backwards and immediately jumped to his feet. His gun was miraculously still in his deep side pocket and he made a grab for it.

"Don't!" Kris panted, leveling her gun to his head. She was back on her feet in an instant, backpedaling until she was out of arms reach of him.

Gary froze, momentarily shocked by the girl's bravery and resilience. He had half expected for her to drop her weapon. His hand stopped halfway on its journey to his pocket and clenched into a loose fist. The two stood panting in a silent, intense showdown for what seemed like hours. Finally, Gary smiled and relaxed.

"Hey." he said easily. "Come on now, sweetheart. Put that thing down."

"Why? So you can kill me." Kris shot back. Her hands were sweaty and she nervously shifted the gun in her grip.

Gary laughed as if Kris had misunderstood the events of the past hour. "No, I don't want to kill you." he said, his eyes on her weapon.

Kris narrowed her eyes. "Really? You have a funny way of showing that."

"Look, honey-" Gary patronized her. "Well- first, what's your name?"

"Don't worry about my name."

Gary chuckled. "Alright then. Let's make a deal." he started slowly. "Put that thing away and I'll leave with my girlfriend there and leave you and your friends alone." He summoned a charming smile. "How's that sound?"

Kris laughed bitterly. "It sounds like a lie."

Gary had the audacity to look offended. He put a hand over his heart. "I'm not lying. It's her I want. You and your friends just were in the wrong place at the wrong time, trust me. I just want to talk to her."

Laura let out a low frightened moan and Kris's eyes instinctively flicked over to her. She caught herself almost instantly and turned back towards Gary, who's hand was now in his pocket.

"Come on, put that thing down, sweetheart." Gary coaxed. "You can just walk right out of here, I promise." he said, gesturing back towards the way they came.

Kris laughed derisively. Did he really think she would forget about her friends and turn and walk away alone? If growing up with Jill had taught her anything, it was never to turn your back to your opponent.

"I don't believe you." she said shakily. She licked her lips and shifted her gun again.

Gary gave her a reassuring smile and thinking her close to breaking, he began to slowly approach. "I give you my word. Now, come on, sweetheart. Put it down." he said, his voice like one would use on a misbehaving child.

Kris unconsciously began to back away at his approach. As she did, the back of her heel rested on an uneven tree root jutting out of the ground. The moment she put her weight on it, the root bent, sending her stumbling backwards with a cry of surprise.

Gary took immediate advantage of her moment of vulnerability and whipped the gun out of his pocket, his intention clearly to shoot her dead. But though her mistaken looked to be fatal, Kris kept her presence of mind. As she fell backwards, she shut her eyes tightly and squeezed the trigger.

Two gun shots rang out simultaneously accompanied by both women's shrieks of terror. Kris landed and wildly looked herself up and down, half expecting a gaping hole to be blown through her body.

"You…you bitch!" Gary grunted, his voice a strangled growl. Kris snapped her head up to see Gary writhing on the floor, his face contorted in both rage and agony. He was clutching his left thigh with both hands. Dark red blood stained his khaki pants and spurted between his fingers. Her bullet had hit its mark and his had failed. Then, as if they had both remembered at the same time, both Kris and Gary's attention locked on the gun that he had dropped on his way to the ground.

His eyes blazing with hate, Gary lunged for his weapon and Kris's stomach gave a violent lurch as she realized the helplessness of her situation. She hurriedly snatched her gun off of the ground and clicked another bullet into the chamber. Before she had a chance to aim it, the sound of a scuffle made her whip her head up.

Without her even noticing, Laura had somehow climbed to her feet, rushed over to Gary and kicked the gun out of his reach not a moment too soon. His fingers closed on a handful of worthless dirt, grazing the steel of his gun as it skidded away.

"Bitch!" Gary bellowed again, as he squirmed in the dirt. "I'll kill you!" His face was beet red, twisted in rage. Murder in his eyes, he began to crawl towards them as quickly as he could.

Kris shook herself out of her shocked stupor. "Laura! The gun!" she shouted. Laura started and then looked around the dark forest floor.

"I can't find it!" she wailed in frustration. Gary lunged at her and with a yelped she dodged his attack. He landed back on the ground, cursed her loudly, and again tried to get to his feet. Though injured, his rage and determination was still frighteningly intimidating.

Kris jumped up and grabbed Laura's shoulder. "Nevermind, let's go!" she cried, pulling on a handful of her shirt.

Still cursing angrily, Gary rose to his feet and began to limp towards them, his bloodied hands outstretched to throttle the first girl he made contact with. He threw himself towards them and latched onto Kris's pant leg.

"Go! Run!" Kris ordered Laura loudly. She thrashed her leg and clawed frantically at her attacker's face.

"I'm going to break your fucking neck!" Gary threatened savagely. He grabbed a firm hold of Kris's arms and shirt and she immediately realized he meant to pull her down to the floor. Kris panicked and without even realizing the brilliance of her strategy, kicked out in desperation and ground her foot into Gary's bleeding wound.

The results were immediate. He howled in pain, released her and folded to the floor, sputtering curses and vicious threats. Kris wind milled her arms, caught her balance, turned tail and took off sprinting.

Laura had been standing in a daze nearby, unable to either help or leave behind her rescuer. Kris ran solidy into her. "I told you to run!" she shouted in irritation.

"Gary! Gary!" a voice floated to their ears. It couldn't more than fifty feet away.

The two girls eyes widened in dread at the familiar voice. Emmitt must have somehow gotten free and was coming to Gary's aid. With a final shared look of fear, the two bolted into the protective darkness of the forest.

* * *

Jill's breath caught in her throat.

What was that?

If she was honest with herself, she knew exactly what that sound had been. But she held her breath anyway and waited stubbornly for it to happen again and somehow disprove the truth. Before she had a chance to take another breath, the unmistakable sound of guns firing rang out over and over again, more times than she was able to count. Jill swore under her breath and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. Why had she left them?

Suddenly the idea of following her car seemed ridiculously stupid and illogical and there was no way she could fathom how it ever could have seemed like a good idea. Had her friends and sister just been killed while she wandered around the forest pretending to be a bloodhound? She gritted her teeth anxiously.

Why had she been so stupid?

Without another moment of consideration, she turned and hurried off in the direction that she came from, tripping and stumbling over rocks, sticks, and tree roots. Jill hardly noticed. Her main job growing up had always been to take care of her little sister and now a stupid decision might have taken her away along with her two best friends.

A slight dip in the ground caused Jill to step unevenly, lose her balance and topple forward with a loud curse. She caught herself on her hands and knees and angrily shoved herself to her feet. How could she have been so stupid? Fear, dread, and helpless frustration mixed together and produced a jittery, panicked feeling in her chest that made her sick. Jill clenched her teeth in determination and quickened her pace. She hadn't been traveling too long, it shouldn't take more than twenty minutes to get back to the campsite.

Fifteen minutes later, Jill felt her shoe sink into something soft and realized with a start that she was standing on the cold white ashes of their campfire. Her heart stopped in her chest.

Where was everything?

Where was everyone?

Jill whirled around, thinking she must have missed something, but she was wrong. The tents, their stakes, their bags, her friends.

Every trace that they had been here, save the ashes she was standing in, was gone.

With a moan of frustration, Jill sank down to the floor and buried her face into her hands. She had to think. Kelly, Sabrina, and Kris were smart, resourceful, and strong. There had been at least ten bullets fired. Why fire more than four times for a simple execution? They had to have gotten away, she told herself fiercely. They had escaped and been fired at, but had gotten away.

With this thought vaguely comforting her, she rose to her feet and felt safe enough to turn on her flashlight for the first time since she heard the girl scream. A quick sweep of their former campsite revealed nothing except the thoroughness of her friend's kidnappers.

Even the tire tracks had been covered up.

Jill sighed in defeat. Her friends could be anywhere. The beam of light suddenly rested on a small bundle of yellow, looking extremely out of place amongst the nature around it. Eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement, Jill trotted over and knelt down next to it. Realizing it was a shirt, she gingerly picked it up. Her heart stopped as the thin yellow fabric unfolded in her hands revealing smears of bloodstains.

Though she couldn't remember whether it was Kelly or Sabrina's, she recognized the short sleeved yellow t-shirt immediately. Her mouth went dry. Had one of them been wearing this shirt? She closed her eyes, racking her brain to try to remember what her sister and friends had been wearing. Kelly had on a blue and white baseball style shirt, Kris had on a red hooded jacket that she had borrowed from her yesterday morning, and Sabrina had on a gray sweatshirt.

Or had Kelly had the gray sweatshirt? Was Sabrina wearing the yellow t-shirt under her jacket? Did she have the jacket or was that Kris?

With a cry of frustration, Jill tossed the bloodstained shirt down and jumped to her feet. She paced around it for a few moments before pausing and then turning back to the forest she had just come out of. Her friends and sister were in there somewhere. They had to be.

And she was going to find them.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry about the wait. I caught the plague or some damn thing. Anyway, here you go!**_

* * *

Chapter 5

The first rays of morning light lit up the creek like orange-red fire, the water's reflection dazzlingly bright in Jill's eyes. But this wasn't the time to appreciate the natural beauty. She wearily flopped to her knees in the soft silt of the creek bed and tentatively dipped one hand into the cold running water. The entire night had been spent wandering the vast and seemingly endless forest. She had no idea where her friends were and she was hopelessly lost and alone. There had also been no sign of the criminals and Jill wasn't sure if that was either a good or bad thing. Either way, she hadn't slept and was tired, hungry, and thirsty.

She frowned at the sight of her outstretched arm in the water. Her hand was scratched and dirty, her sleeve discolored by both dirt and grass stains. At least she was wearing green. With a sigh, Jill scrubbed her hands vigorously under the running water, hoping to get as much grit and sweat off of them as possible. When she was finished, she cupped them together and splashed some of the cold water onto her face.

It felt infinitely more cold than it had on her hands and she gasped slightly in surprise. Eyes closed, she suddenly realized she had nothing else to wipe her face dry except for her dirty shirt. That would have to do. She sighed and rubbed her face dry with the tail of her shirt. Feeling much better, she straightened out her shirt and let out a short derisive laugh as she noticed the grime her newly cleaned face had left on it.

Who's stupid idea had it been to go camping anyway?

Jill groaned in frustration and then studied the water carefully. It looked clean enough. Though bacteria wasn't exactly big enough to see. Would it make her sick?

Would it be better to die of thirst?, her mind argued.

Jill sighed and drank a few handfuls of the clear creek water. Bears and wolves did it all the time, why couldn't she?

Jill grinned in spite of her foul mood. Bears and wolves also didn't get kidnapped on camping trips by strange men with guns. Her thirst sated, she rose to her feet, wiped her mouth and dried her hands on the back of her jeans. She squinted against the brilliant morning sunlight. The creek would lead her back to familiar territory.

But only if she followed it in the correct direction.

And what good would it be to be in familiar territory without her friends or even the vehicle they had come in? Jill sighed, played a quick mental game of "eeny meeny miny mo" and then headed west, toward what she hoped was civilization.

* * *

Sabrina and Kelly trudged wearily through the forest, doing their best to stay within the cooling shadows of the tall redwood trees. Their night and morning had been spent in a fruitless search for their companions. And if not being able to find their friends wasn't bad enough, the mad dash through the woods the night before had left them utterly lost and turned around in the massive forest. Every tree, every bush, every rock seemed to look to the same. The two had yet to even take a break since outmaneuvering their pursuer hours ago.

It was now late morning and unseasonably warm, the bright sun beating down through the tops of the trees and scattering its light on the forest floor. Their dinner the evening prior had been hearty, but after an entire night and morning running and walking, both girls were tired, thirsty and absolutely famished.

Sabrina paused to peel off her gray sweatshirt and tie it around her waist. "This is the last time we take Jill's advice on how to spend a vacation." she grumbled, wiping her face on her t-shirt. She frowned at the white material. It was already sticking to her.

Kelly smiled. "Well, it started out fun enough."

Sabrina grudgingly admitted this fact with a faint smirk. It had been fun. Until their luck had taken over. Just as a cool breeze began to ease her discomfort, Sabrina suddenly realized something that made her heart sink.

"Kell, you know no one expects us back until Monday. No one is going to know what happened to us or even start looking until then." she said quietly.

Kelly nodded solemnely. "Yeah, I thought of that too." she said slowly. "We just have to hope Jill or Kris or Laura made it to the road or a ranger's station or something."

"And even then, Kell. Look around." Sabrina muttered. Though she already knew the point her friend was trying to make, Kelly's eyes swept around the woods surrounding her. "Think they'll spot us in all this?"

Kelly shrugged. "Maybe." she answered, without conviction. "Or maybe we're closer to town than we think we are."

A slow smile spread across Sabrina's face and she gave Kelly an affectionate shove. "Well, look at you being optomistic." she teased. Kelly grinned and shoved her back. "Hey, if we starve to death out here, I want to make sure my corpse looks happier than yours."

The girls giggled together, enjoying a moment of escape from their grim reality. As they walked, a large bush sagging with ripe red berries suddenly came into focus. Sabrina and Kelly looked longingly at it. Neither knew much about wild plant life, but they stopped in front of it anyway for a quick inspection.

"Do you think we can eat them?" Sabrina asked hesitantly.

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know Bri. Probably not. Just leave them."

Sabrina gently fingered one of the heavy leaves. "They look harmless enough."

"So did Nixon."

Sabrina laughed and let go of the little branch to follow her friend. "I wish I knew what to do out here." she said thoughtfully. She turned to Kelly. "You didn't happen to take any outdoor wilderness training as a kid, did you?"

Kelly shot her a piteous look. "What? Orphan scouts?" she said dryly. "No, Bri."

The joke was a little tasteless, but nonetheless it brought a smile to Sabrina's face. "Me neither. I guess we get to go hungry until we get out of here, don't we?" she said with a sigh.

"Unless it has a wrapper I'm not eating it." Kelly agreed. Without giving the bush another thought, the two continued wandering aimlessly through the forest.

* * *

"Do you need to sit for a minute?" Kris asked gently. Laura raised her head, unsure of what her answer should be. Kris gave her an understanding smile. The young woman looked exhausted and nerve wracked, as if at any moment she would burst into tears. Kris gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Let's rest a little, alright?"

Laura nodded her head and the two girls sank onto a soft looking patch of grass alongside a large, moss-covered fallen tree trunk. She gave Kris a grateful smile and then looked away awkwardly. Though the two had been walking side by side throughout most of the night into the late morning, neither had spoken much, preferring to stay quiet with their own thoughts. There had been questions though in Kris's head and now seemed like a good a time as any to ask. But before she could form one that was both intelligent and sensitive, Laura beat her to it.

"You probably want to know why you're wandering around lost instead of having a good time with your friends, don't you?" Laura asked softly.

Kris smiled, unsure how to answer the blunt question. She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck and tilted her head. "I was kind of wondering." she admitted.

Laura nodded. "Well you have every right. I owe you an explanation." She sighed miserably and wiped away a few strands of auburn hair plastered to her sweaty forehead. "I guess I should start at the beginning." she said with a shaky laugh.

"That might help." Kris said, an encouraging smile still on her face.

Laura shifted restlessly her seat and ran a nervous hand over her face. "God, where to start?" she muttered. "Gary is my boyfriend." She laughed derisively at her own words. "Well was- obviously we've ended our relationship."

Kris nodded, deciding not to say a word until Laura was finished.

"We dated a few months. I-I didn't know much about his personal life. Never met his parents, never met his friends, but I guess I was so starstruck that I didn't bother asking him about it." she started. Laura shook her head in regret. "We had our routine, you know? Nothing else really mattered." She cleared her throat and whatever trace of nostalgia left in her voice vanished. "But last week, I went over to his place. I wanted to surprise him for his birthday, bring over a homemade cake-"

Her words trailed off and her expression darkened. "-only- only I was the one who got the surprise, I guess." she said quietly. She wiped her mouth and let out a shuddering breath. "He was there with those other guys. They um- they all had blood on their clothes and they looked like they had been in a fight, I mean they were sweating and bruised and- and it just didn't look right. They looked nervous. Like I had caught them doing something."

Kris sat still, silently absorbing Laura's increasingly disturbing story.

"Gary looked so angry, I-I thought he was going to yell at me right then, but he started laughing and took me outside. Told me that they had just come back from hunting and that tomorrow we could celebrate his birthday. That I should go home 'cause he was embarrassed, me seeing him all dirty."

Kris raised an eyebrow, which Laura immediately acknowledged with a rueful smile. "Oh, I know." she explained. "I didn't believe him either. He's always been arrogant. But, I didn't know what else to do. I went home and the next day he came over for dinner and pretended like it didn't happen. I- I wanted to believe him, I kept dreaming up ways that he could have gotten like that when I saw him. But I couldn't shake that bad feeling."

Her eyes had been glistening with tears since she started speaking, and now they freely rolled down her cheeks.

"And two days ago, I saw on the news that a man had been murdered. His body was found in a ditch near where Gary works and- and I don't know what I was thinking. I panicked, I didn't want it to be true, I wanted to prove to myself that my Gary couldn't have done anything like that so I went back to his apartment, looked in his car. And you know, all the floor mats were missing in the back seat. I had a key to his place, so I went inside, found his spare key and opened up his trunk. He must have laid something down before putting the body there because there were bloodstains, but just a few and very small. Still, they scared me and I guess it was finally seeing them that told me that Gary was involved with that man's murder. I guess I finally ran out of excuses for him." she finished sadly. She brushed away a few tears with the back of her hand and sighed.

Kris gave her an encouraging smile. "And then what happened?" she asked gently.

Laura pursed her lips, steeling herself for what was probably the most difficult part of her story.

"Well, I went home and Gary came over after work. I guess it never occurred to me that Gary had actually killed that man himself. I still trusted him. I thought maybe he had been there, or it had been an accident." she said, giving Kris an urgent look. "I know how stupid I sound, I do, but I really did trust him, I thought he was too good of a person to have done something like this. I thought surely he was covering for his friends."

Kris shook her head. "No it doesn't sound stupid at all. You trusted him."

Laura sighed, not at all comforted by Kris's words and continued. "So I confronted him about it. Told him about the man in the news, about me snooping around in his car, about my suspicions. He got real quiet then said that it had been a terrible accident. The man and one of his friends had been drinking and started fighting, then he fell and hit his head on the curb. So they panicked and hid his body. Then he actually started to cry, took my hands and asked me please not to tell. I-I told him I wouldn't, but that he should tell somebody. He said he would." Her face darkened. "And of course I believed him like an idiot."

She stopped and buried her face in her hands. Not knowing what else to do, Kris gave her another pat on the back.

"He sounds like a good liar. It's not your fault." Kris offered weakly.

"I should have known better." Laura argued. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "But I didn't. And when he came back that night, I let him in and then I let him talk me into taking a drive. His friends were waiting in the car, it all happened so fast."

She fought for composure for a few moments, leaving Kris to wait awkwardly in silence. When she had controlled her breathing, she took a deep breath and plunged forward into her traumatizing memory with as little emotion as she could.

"They- they tied me up and put me in the trunk and then we were driving forever it seemed. I don't know how I didn't go crazy in there. I managed to get myself untied and I just layed there for who knows how long. I-I managed to get away from them after we'd stopped and that's where I ran into you and your friends."

Kris tilted her head in confusion. "How did you get away?" she asked.

Laura emitted a shaky laugh. "I waited until someone unlocked the trunk and I kicked it up. I remember it hitting someone in the face and I guess I surprised them enough to get a good head start." She smiled sadly and turned to Kris. "That's about the only thing I did right."

Kris smiled at her joke, uncertain of what else was appropriate, and Laura, seemingly spent from her emotional retelling, leaned her head back against the mossy log and closed her eyes. The two girls sat in silence for another few minutes before Laura spoke again.

"I'm really sorry to have gotten you and your friends involved in all this." she said quietly.

Kris shrugged, her forced nonchalance bringing a laugh from Laura's lips. They were after all lost, dirty, and tired in the middle of the forest with a gun containing only one bullet and no way out in sight. It certainly wasn't their fault.

"Look, my sister and my friends are out there, I'm sure of it." Kris said quickly, sensing her guilt. "They used to be cops. They'll find us. We'll get out of this, you'll see."

Laura sighed miserably and buried her head in her hands. "And if Gary finds us first?"

Kris smiled and patted her pocket. "Well, we have one bullet, right?" she said. "C'mon, let's get moving." She stood and offered Laura a hand. Laura looked at her unbelievingly, her companion's easy going nature almost baffling to the guilt ridden girl.

"Anyone else would have just used that bullet on me." she laughed, as she let Kris help her up.

Kris smiled. "Anyone else wouldn't stand a chance out here." She winked and slung an arm around Laura's shoulder. "Trust me, we aren't just anyone else."

* * *

Jill paused for a quick break about thirty feet from the top of the rocky crest she was climbing. It was hard work and though the sunlight was beginning to fade with the approach of evening, the heat still did nothing to make her job easier. Or the fact that she hadn't eaten or slept since before this whole mess had happened. Jill sighed and stretched her sore muscles. She had long since rolled up her sleeves and tied back her hair to make herself more comfortable in the warm weather, a tough trade since her sleeves had also been protecting her arms from the scrapes and cuts the rocky surface was constantly offering her. But might as well be comfortable, right?

Jill gathered herself and peered towards the top of the hill. There was another reason she was reluctant. Though climbing to the top of a tall hill would give her an aerial view over the forest and give her a better vantage point to find her friends, it would also make her easy to spot for her enemies. That was a risk that seemed to have no way around though.

When her breathing finally slowed to normal, she steeled herself and climbed the rest of the way. As she neared the top, climbing became increasingly difficult and by the time she was close enough to peer over the ledge, her body was angrily demanding another break. But there was no time for that. After a moment of hesitation, Jill pulled herself up and craned her neck to see over the rocky ledge.

She let out a gasp of both amazement and dismay.

The view would have been breathtakingly beautiful in the fiery orange and red tones of sunset, had the vast, endless spread of forest not meant that finding her friends could be a depressingly impossible task. Jill eased herself back down and rested the side of her face against the rocks. Now what?, she thought to herself glumly. Instead of locating her friends all she had succeeded in doing was reminding herself how enormous this place was and wearing herself out. Heavy with defeat, she slowly started to slide down her perch, when a loud male shout nearly made her lose her footing and tumble off of the ledge.

Panicked, Jill froze and clutched desperately to her handholds. Who was that? Had she been seen?, she thought frantically. She held her breath and strained her ears for more clues. More male voices, noticeably similar to the ones she had heard last night. After a few moments, she realized that no one was climbing up the hill to kill her and relaxed. She must have surprised them. Being careful not to make any unnecessary noise, Jill once more pulled herself over the ledge and this time, peered straight down.

Her eyes widened as she realized that she had inadvertently stumbled onto her enemies camp. So, it appeared that she wasn't the only one with the idea of getting to higher ground. About fifteen feet below her ledge sat all the men from last night. She had only heard voices and seen shadows and guessed there to be three or four of them. Jill squinted against the sunlight to get a good look at them.

There were three men. Hopefully that was all of them. Two of them were maybe in their late twenties or early thirties. The other probably in his mid forties. She studied them carefully. One of the younger men looked pale and sick and it didn't take long before she realized why. His left thigh was tightly bandaged with blood stained gauze, the khaki pants cut away right above the wound. He was drinking from a questionable looking bottle and sweating heavily, his wet hair making it difficult for Jill to perceive its true color. Whatever had happened was serious. A knife or bullet wound, she guessed. Jill was very observant, but anyone could have seen how angry he was. The other two men acted cautiously as if fearing to set him off. Having decided the injured man was in charge, Jill took a look at his flunkies. The younger man had longish dark hair and a thin face that had probably been needing a shave for close to a week. He was whispering something to the older man, a stout, mean looking fellow who's face vaguely reminded her of something. She pondered this for another minute before nearly giggling.

Dig 'Em the Frog from that kids' cereal. That's who he reminded her of.

"Anymore pain pills, Murph?"

Jill held her breath and pressed herself against her ledge. Maybe she could find out where her friends went.

The younger man with the dark hair reached over and grabbed a beige knapsack, rummaged through it and produced a plastic bag.

"Only two more left." Murph replied.

"Gimme one." the injured man grunted. His voice sounded strained and weak and Jill could only guess what he had done to be going to these lengths to avoid a hospital.

Dig 'Em suddenly shifted and cleared his throat. "This isn't a good idea, Gary. You're going to get blood poisoning or something. Let's go b-"

The injured man, Gary, cut him off with an angry curse. "We can't go back!" he snarled. "We just let a goddamn witness get away from us and now we have three others roaming around! How can we go back?!"

Dig 'Em sighed in frustration. "They won't make it back. They're a bunch of girls in the woods. Bears will get them or something."

Gary scoffed at him. "And if they don't? And they make it back? And Laura goes to the cops? Then what, fortune teller?" he growled sarcastically. "They had no problem taking care of you, did they?"

Dig 'Em flushed bright red and he turned away, his face a mixture of anger and embarassment.

Murph looked uneasily between his two arguing companions. "Could be days finding them is all, Gary. You up for that?"

Gary sneered. "It won't be much longer. They couldn't have gotten far." he said. He took another swig of the dark liquid in his bottle and hissed as it burned down his throat. "Besides, I have a score to settle with that damn little blonde with the gun. I'm going to rip her apart with my bare hands." he seethed.

Jill immediately pulled her head back, her heart racing. From that brief conversation, she had gathered what she had already guessed. Her friends were alive. They had somehow escaped from Dig 'Em.

And Gary had a score to settle with a damn little blonde.

Jill let out a shaky breath. Her and Kris were the only blondes, and unless she had been sleep walking, she hadn't been the one to shoot Gary. No, she got the feeling he definitely wasn't talking about her. He wanted Kris.

Torn between a mixture of pride for her sister's bravery and dread for her safety, she shimmied a few inches away in preparation for climbing back down. Her friends were alive and she needed to find them and warn them.

In her hurry to get down her foot slipped off of its hold, sending her sliding down the gravely surface for a few terrifying inches. She quickly regained her foot and held her breath, waiting to see if it would have any consequences. Surely, the three men heard the avalanche she had just caused, she thought frantically. She waited silently, not daring to move, for a few seconds longer before letting out her breath in a steady hiss. The men were grumbling to each other, but appeared not to have noticed her. She swallowed hard and wiped her sweaty face against her shoulder before resuming her descent. Her legs were now in an awkward position and she carefully inched up her right leg to give her left room to move down.

By the time her eyes registered the quick glint of metal it was too late.

The long, steel handled flashlight had wedged itself out of her pocket while she scrambled for her footing. She made a desperate swipe for it, but missed. The heavy light smacked loudly into a large rock and noisily bounced its way down the uneven and rocky hill, crashing into every rock it could. A wave of dread immediately swept through Jill. There was no way they hadn't heard that.

"What was that?" one of the men called.

Jill cursed silently to herself and began climbing back down as quickly as she could.

"Hey! It's one of them!" Dig 'Em's voice shouted. There was a sudden commotion as all three of them men jumped to their feet. "There! Look!"

Terror washing over her, Jill eased herself down even faster, no longer caring if she made any noise. Stealth was out of the question now. The loud crack of three separate guns firing at the same time made her shriek in surprise. The gunfire echoed loudly in the open area, making Jill wish she could cover her unprotected ears with her hands. She scrabbled down the face of the hill, scraping her hands and knees, but not noticing or caring. About forty feet more or so and she would be on flat ground and able to run. More gunfire came from below, startling her and quickening her pace.

A bullet ricocheted off of a nearby rock, spattering dirt and grit in her face. Jill cried out in surprise and instinctively jerked herself away. The sudden movement cost Jill her footing completely, and to her unending horror, she found herself teetering backwards. She flailed her arms in a wild attempt to latch onto the face of her ledge, but failed.

With a shriek of panic, Jill fell backwards from her perch and bounced and crashed her way down the rocky ledge she had just spent the better part of an hour climbing. The hill was steep and unforgiving and Jill felt every rocky and painful contact with it's surface jarring her entire body as she fell. Random jolts of pain shot through her body, her fall much too quick to figure out where they had been gathered.

After what felt like an eternity of pain, Jill rolled to a halt inches from her traitorous flashlight. She lay for a few moments, panting and dizzy from her fall, before a fresh wave of urgency hit her. The men would be here soon and without a rocky ledge between them, their bullets would be much, much more accurate. She pushed herself to her feet, wincing in pain from at least five different injuries and looked around frantically. The men had a short climb, but that didn't give her much of a headstart. She could already hear their voices, rallying together to find her. At least she had made record time down the steep hill, she thought dryly.

Jill snatched up the flashlight and started to run. As she put weight on it, a sharp pain burned through her right leg and sent her toppling to the ground. She landed with a strangled yelp and clutched at her leg. The knee of her jeans was ripped open and its frayed edges were soaked with blood. Jill sucked in a sharp breath. She could already feel the blood running down her leg. But there was no time to assess the damage now. That could wait. They were coming.

With a groan of agony, she once more pushed herself to her feet and limped away as quickly as she could, ignoring the protesting sting of her injured knee.

If she got out of this alive, she'd make sure to never let her friends take her camping again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Up there! Get out of my way!"

Gary's urgent and very angry voice cut through the forest like a razor, directly to Jill's ears, sending a cold shudder down her spine. If she was caught, she would die. It was as simple as that.

So she would have to get away.

Jill skidded to a panting halt, sending soft pine needles flurrying around her feet, and took a frantic look around. There was nothing but wide open forest in every direction, she would surely be seen. She took an indecisive step to her right and sucked in a breath at the painful sting in her knee. There was still no time to examine the wound, but it couldn't be good. Blood was already running down her leg and soaking through into her sock.

Jill whirled around. There was only a short climb that separated them from her and even with his injured leg, Gary didn't seem one to let such an obstacle hold him back for long. Jill turned and launched herself in a lopsided run towards the area that looked to have the most protection in case there were bullets to dodge. As she ran, however, it became more and more obvious that her wounded leg was not going to allow her to put as much distance as she wanted between her and her enemies. The only other option was to hide.

But where?

Jill ducked behind a thick tree trunk and desperately willed her racing mind to calm down and think. Where could she hide? Cursing softly, she leaned her head back into the rough surface of the tree and shut her eyes tight in concentration. Where? Where? She could already hear the men shouting. They were up the hill. Now only a quick sprint separated them.

Suddenly her eyes shot open. The tree. It was a shot in the dark, but it was all she had. Without another thought, she leaped up and grabbed the nearest limb she could and hoisted herself up. Her feet scrambled madly in the air until she was able to dig into the rough tree bark and push her body upwards. She gritted her teeth as she put weight on her injured leg, but ignored the blinding pain. This was no time to let an injury slow her down.

"Where did she go?" Gary's furious voice called out. He sounded out of breath, in pain, and half crazed with rage. Jill turned and, jaw set in fierce determination, climbed the branches of her tree, higher and higher, her sights set about twelve feet above her in a lush canopy of leaves. The protective cluster of branches and leaves would be her only hope against certain death.

Halfway up, her foot slipped off its hold and for a heartstopping moment, she skidded down the trunk of the tree. Jill gasped and instinctively dug her hands and knees into the rough bark to catch herself. The rough surface scraped her forearms and tore into her injured knee as she halted her descent, but she clenched her jaw tightly and bore the searing pain without a sound.

Snapping twigs and crunching footfalls grew closer and closer. She would be left hanging in plain sight if she didn't get up this tree right now. Ignoring the nauseating throbbing in her leg, Jill kicked her feet until they found a suitable hold and began to scurry up her tree as fast as she could.

The three men ran within her sight a few seconds later, just as her foot tucked itself safely out of sight.

"Where is she?!" Gary screamed in frustration.

His companions wisely kept their distance from him, almost as afraid of his rage as Jill was.

"She couldn't have outrun us already." Murph realized. "There was blood on the rocks back there. She's hurt, she's got to be hiding around here somewhere."

"Find her." Gary snapped shortly.

Jill clenched her teeth as a fresh wave of pain radiated from her injured knee. Blood was soaking the thin fabric of her jeans and already seeping into her shoe, but still she didn't dare check on it. Instead, she balanced herself in the narrow fork of a tree branch and tried to keep as still and silent as she could. She could plainly see the three men through the leaves of her branch, beating around bushes and hunting behind trees for her. Her stomach churned uncomfortably, though it had been empty since the previous evening. The pain was excruciating.

The men's angry shouts grew a bit farther away and Jill let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. They would be gone soon, she told herself, then she could see about the task of climbing down her tree.

She shifted her leg to relieve her discomfort and gasped as her knee angrily protested being stretched out even the slightest bit. With nothing else to do but wait, she decided to see what she had done to it. Holding tightly to her branch with one arm, she gingerly peeled away the tattered fabric that clung to the wound. She stifled a groan as she realized she had opened up a three inch gash down her right knee. Wincing, she wiped away the pebbles and grit sticking to the torn and bloody flesh of her knee as best she could with the cleanest part of her sleeve. There was nothing else she could do for it in her position though, so she extended her leg and propped it up against a nearby branch to alleviate the pain.

It didn't help very much.

Below her, the search was coming to a frustrated and angry stop. Jill watched the men regroup about twenty feet away from her tree.

"How?!" Gary ranted furiously. "How could she just disappear?!"

Dig 'Em wiped his sweaty face on his sleeve. "Don't know, Gary. But she wasn't one of the girls from yesterday. I told you there was another one."

Gary glared at him. He was obviously in a great deal of pain and Jill wondered if that was what was making him so unpleasant and hateful.

Probably not.

Gary shoved Dig 'Em hard, sending the stocky man staggering a few feet. "And how the hell does that matter?"

Murph stepped between them and began speaking in a soft, patient tone that Jill couldn't make out from her distance. Whatever he said seemed to calm down both of his companions. The three men turned and began trudging back where they had come from, grumbling to themselves.

Go, please go, Jill begged them desperately in her head. Her heart had just stopped pounding and the adrenaline had run its course, leaving her exhausted and aching all over. If they would just go she could climb down, take care of her knee and find somewhere to sleep for the night. Jill gritted her teeth and leaned her head back. The sun had gone down several minutes ago and the sky was already taking on the dark blue and purplish hues of twilight. The men had undoubtedly already made camp and would soon be gone for the night, giving her plenty of time to put distance between them.

She watched them walk by, silently cursing Gary for slowing them down so much. As they passed, she tensed up and drew herself into the leaves as much as possible. Hurry up and pass!, she screamed in her head. She almost screamed it out loud when Gary stumbled and fell right at the base of her tree.

He let out a loud curse and angrily slammed his fist against the ground in frustration. His friends shared a knowing look.

"Gar, maybe it isn't a good idea climbing back down with your leg like that." Dig 'Em suggested carefully.

Gary glared at him. "Well, I don't have much of a choice." he growled.

Murph and Dig 'Em had a brief whispered exchange, before Murph stepped forward.

"Look, I'll go get our gear. We'll make camp right here, but listen, I'm not a doctor. If you don't just forget about these girls and go to the hospital you're going to lose your leg." he warned.

Gary's gaze hardened. "If we don't find those girls we're all going to jail."

Murph threw up his hands and stalked away. "They're not making it out of here!" he yelled, suddenly losing his patience. "They have no supplies except a gun with one bullet because Emmitt is a moron! How are four girls going to survive out here, huh? We can barely do it!"

Jill watched in horror. Were they going to camp right under her tree? She mouthed a curse and pulled her legs toward her chest.

The frog looking Emmitt cleared his throat. "There's five girls. We just saw a new one."

Murph stopped in his tracks, shoulders heaving, then whirled around and flew at his companion. "It doesn't matter! She's alone and bleeding! Didn't I just say that?!" he shouted, giving Emmitt an angry shove. "How long do you think she's going to last!"

Emmitt shoved him back, but said nothing. Murph cursed and, apparently embarassed by his outburst, ran a hand through his longish hair before turning around and disappearing towards their former campsite.

Jill groaned softly in frustration. Surely they weren't going to camp directly under her tree. Her luck wasn't that bad, was it? She was hardly daring to breathe by the time Murph returned. Jill felt her chest tighten in anger when she noticed that the men were using all of the things that her and her friends had brought. She watched in disdain, marveling at her ever increasing bad luck, as the men unrolled their sleeping bags right at the base of her tree and made a campsite.

The men were talking quietly amongst themselves as they worked, seemingly done arguing with each other for the time being. As the last traces of light left the sky, Murph and Emmitt got up and wandered away for a few minutes. When they returned, they both had an armful of dry wood and sticks.

Jill sighed and rolled her sleeves back down to keep out the chill of the quickly approaching night. She could already feel the temperature dropping and her thin long sleeved t-shirt didn't offer much protection. She watched glumly as the two men dug a hole and made a campfire, longingly wishing the warmth would reach her. She rubbed her arms and shivered. Here she was, bleeding and in pain, freezing, starving, exhausted and stuck in an uncomfortable position up in a tree for God knows how long. How could this get any worse?, she thought miserably.

The men's fire crackled away, Jill watching enviously. Just as she thought, none of the warmth seemed to reach her from her perch.

But after a few seconds, the smoke did.

"Oh, come on!" Jill seethed to herself. The smoke wafted up to her from the fire to sting her eyes and burn her throat. There was nowhere else to go though, so she closed her eyes and tilted her face away from it as best she could.

This was not going to be a good night.

* * *

"Are you sure that was a plane you saw and not- I don't know?- a bird?"

"I think it was a plane. They might be looking for us." Sabrina answered, ignoring her friend's sarcasm.

Kelly scoffed. "Bri, a pack of wolves is more likely to find us here than a plane with all these trees."

Sabrina stopped walking and glared at Kelly before looking away. "Gosh, there's nothing like a cheerful companion when times get tough." she said to herself.

Though she was frustrated and tired, the comment made Kelly laugh. "Sorry, Bri." she said. "I'm just a little bit sick of wilderness."

"I don't believe you." Sabrina replied, forcing back a smile. "Maybe if we find the creek again we can go swimming. What do you say?"

Kelly narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Shut up." she said, playfully shoving her arm.

The girls laughed and continued walking. Night had fallen nearly half an hour ago, and the girls were worried, tripping over things in the darkness, and exhausted to the point of giggly delirium. Though both were desperate to find their friends and a way home, they decided that two nights without rest was impossible and were now hunting a safe place to sleep.

"Do you think we'd be safer in a place without trees or one with a lot of trees." Kelly asked wearily.

"I don't know, Kell. But I think if we keep going this way we ca- Ow!"

Kelly jerked in surprise as Sabrina suddenly disappeared from her sight and toppled to the ground. "Bri?" she called, falling to her knees by her friend. "You ok?"

Sabrina pushed herself up and groaned. "Yeah, I tripped over a tree root or something." she muttered, sitting up and rubbing her shin.

"Klutz." Kelly laughed. She patted Sabrina's leg, stood up and offered a helping hand to pull her up. Sabrina brushed the dirt and leaves from her pants, muttering to herself.

"Stupid tree root." she grumbled. Kelly laughed again and helpfully brushed some leaves off of Sabrina's back. As she did, she caught sight of something that instantly grabbed her attention.

She knitted her brows in puzzled wonder and bent down to investigate her find.

"Hey, Bri?"

Sabrina was still rubbing her injured shin. "Yeah?" she mumbled.

"That wasn't a tree root. Look at this." Kelly said absently. "It's like some kind of pavement. But what's it doing in the middle of nowhere?"

Her pain forgotten, Sabrina crouched down and studied the cracked marble that Kelly was brushing her hand along. Puzzled as well by its presence, she cocked her head and looked around as if seeking an answer.

She hadn't really expected one, but she found it nonetheless.

"Hey, Kell." Sabrina said slowly, rising to her full height. "That's not pavement."

Kelly was still absently tracing the marble with her fingers. "What?"

"I think it's a headstone."

Kelly jerked her hand away is if the cold marble had suddenly burned her fingers and shot up to her feet. "What?!" she cried. She took a swift look around her and was surprised to notice vague outlines of headstones and statues that she hadn't noticed before. She let out a loud curse.

"A cemetery? In the middle of the woods?" she ranted as she crossed herself frantically. "Are you kidding me?!"

Sabrina laughed at Kelly's obvious frustration. "You afraid of ghosts?"

Kelly shot her a furious glare. "I'm afraid of making this too convenient for those thugs." she snapped. She looked around nervously. "Let's get out of here."

Sabrina suddenly looked thoughtful. "Well, actually this might be a good place to spend the night. I doubt they'll look for us here."

Kelly stared at her as if she had just suggested swallowing a pinecone. "Stay the night?" she squeaked. "Here? Bri, people are buried here!"

Sabrina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know Kelly. I'm aware of what a cemetery is." she said patiently. "But look, they won't expect us here. It's fenced off on two sides so we can see if anyone is coming, and it'll keep us safe from animals."

Kelly smiled, half expecting for Sabrina to as well, so they could laugh off the practical joke she had just fallen for. When Sabrina's features remained neutral, Kelly felt her insides begin flutter with dread. She blinked. "Oh my God. You're serious." she said in disbelief, more to herself than to her friend. "You've lost your mind."

"No, I haven't." Sabrina sighed wearily. "Look, we're both exhausted. We can sleep next to that big tree in the corner where the bushes will hide us."

Kelly backed away, fearing Sabrina's lunacy was contagious.

"Sleep here?" she said in a quiet uneasy voice.

"C'mon Kelly, I'm tired. I wanna go to sleep." Sabrina sighed again, slightly annoyed by her friend's sudden childish behavior.

"Bri, this isn't a good idea."

Sabrina sighed. "It'll be fine. It's just a graveyard. If you don't want to sleep by the tree, then pick somewhere else."

Kelly laughed derisively. "Somewhere el-? Why don't we just lay out on Neil Rodgers grave, here?" she retorted sarcastically, patting the cracked granite of a nearby headstone. "Or better yet, let's ask him to scoot over, huh?"

Sabrina rubbed her face in her hands. "Kelly." she said evenly, her voice betraying her lack of patience. "We'll sleep by the tree. I'll hold your hand if you want. It'll be fine." she said shortly.

Defeated, Kelly looked around and shuddered, unconsciously wrapping her arms around herself. "Bri-" she started uneasily.

"Are you scared?" Sabrina challenged with a cocky grin. "Cause if you're scared-" she teased, trailing off purposely to give Kelly room to talk.

Kelly took the bait. "I'm not scared!"

Sabrina wiggled her fingers in Kelly's face and gave a spooky wail, in her best floating ghost impersonation. Kelly slapped her hands. "Stop that! Show some respect!" she snapped. Sabrina stopped her act and laughed, both surprised and amused to find such a ridiculous weakness in her fearless friend.

"It's not funny, Bri!"

Seeing that she really was upsetting her friend, Sabrina stopped laughing and cleared her throat. She grinned and took Kelly's arm in an unspoken request for forgiveness. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry." she said gamely, giving Kelly a sideways hug. " C'mon, I'll take first watch and you can get some rest."

Kelly sighed miserably and let Sabrina lead her away, her shoulders tensed in obvious discomfort. "This is wrong on so many different levels." Kelly whispered nervously, her eyes still darting around the dark and quiet cemetery, scanning her spooky surroundings for a vengeful spirit or floating orb. The girls sat down in the scraggly patches of grass at the base of a large oak. The trunk was sunken in and wide, seemingly evolved and twisted throughout the years to develop into a tree perfectly suited for leaning against. Sabrina and Kelly rested against it, their weariness deciding it was allowed to reveal itself the moment they were off of their feet.

An owl hooted, and Kelly scooted closer to Sabrina in a rare outward display of fear and looked warily around the cemetery, not quite trusting enough in her surroundings to relax. To her relief, the scraggly bushes blocked most of the view of the cemetery, allowing her to pretend that she was elsewhere.

Where there were no ghosts.

Sabrina chuckled, taking notice of Kelly's overzealous vigilance of the quiet cemetery, and draped a comforting arm around her shoulder. Kelly jumped.

"Relax, Kell. Nothing's out there." she laughed. She patted Kelly's arm reassuringly. "And if there is, I'll be sure to let it get me first, how's that?"

Kelly glared at her. "In that case, I hope it's a bear."

Sabrina laughed, and despite herself, Kelly's face broke into a grin and she grudgingly relaxed, well aware now of how silly she was being. "I can't believe you're making me sleep in a cemetery." she muttered, as she made herself comfortable against the rough tree trunk. "You're not dragging me to a single scary movie ever again after this is all over, I hope you realize this."

Sabrina laughed again. "I promise, I do."

The girls lapsed into amicable silence and at the consistent lack of demons and ghost bursting from their graves, Kelly finally relaxed her tense muscles and opened the door for the exhaustion of the past two days to take her. Without realizing it, she laid her head on Sabrina's shoulder. Her watchful view of the open cemetery grew more and more interrupted with darkness as she began to trust her eyes to remain closed for longer and longer periods of time.

Sabrina glanced down at Kelly. She had finally fallen asleep. She bit back a laugh. Wait till Jill hears about this, she thought to herself. Though she meant to stay awake to keep watch, the stress of the day, coupled with her resting position and Kelly's warmth lulled her into a spell of drowsiness that she was ill prepared to fight. Her eyelids fluttered in a weak attempt to remain open and then slid shut firmly, unwilling to open again.

The two girls slept huddled together until the sun began to turn the night sky gray with pale morning sunlight.

* * *

Jill pitched forward out of her perch. The movement woke her immediately and her flailing arms managed to grab hold of a branch and steady herself. A twig snapped, leaves rustled, and thin strips of bark flaked off and spun to the ground. Pumped with adrenaline, she immediately looked down to see if the men had heard the noise.

They were still sleeping.

She rubbed her face with a trembling hand and cursed softly to herself. That was the third time she had dozed off. She had already treed herself, she couldn't afford to make any more mistakes.

Jill sighed and glanced back down at the men. Murph was sleeping on his back directly below her. When he had first laid himself down, it had been terrifyingly unsettling to see him gazing in her direction, his eyes fixed on her but not seeing. She spent nearly an hour without daring to do anymore movement than breathing. He hadn't seen her thought, so apparently the light from the fire wasn't enough to expose her. But the morning sunlight surely would be. And all they had to do was aim and shoot.

She focused her stinging eyes on the night sky above her head, racking her brain for a solution. The men hadn't seen her before, but they hadn't been looking straight up the way they would in a few hours when they woke up. She couldn't climb down for fear of waking them, and she couldn't climb any higher into the tree.

And the thought of spending her remaining few hours of life stuck in this tree covered with her own blood and breathing in smoke made her want to lose her mind.

Jill rested her face in her hands and felt a sudden urge to cry. She had never been so exhausted, helpless, and miserable in her life. She looked back down at the sleeping men. At least if they were here, then Kris, Kelly, Sabrina, and that other girl were safe for the night. The thought was the only bit of comfort this night had to offer. Jill squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think.

If she wanted to be alive tomorrow night, she had about three hours to think of a way out of this.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The sky to the east begin to change colors, the black of night slowly brightening and shifting towards the rosy hues of dawn. Jill wearily raised her head and stared at the impending sunrise. Her time had run out. She was cold, stiff, and miserable. The only change in her luck had been the campfire burning out over an hour ago giving her most welcome relief from the smoke. She rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. They no longer stung, but were probably bloodshot anyway.

Her stomach growled, its dull emptiness reminding her again that she hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours. She felt empty and sick. She closed her eyes and rested her head against her branch. Her eyes snapped open when she felt herself drifting off and she cursed in frustration.

Jill looked toward the sunrise again. From her spot in the tree, she could see dawn slowly spread farther and farther up the sky as the sun rose. The forest began to come alive all around her. A bird chirped happily off to her right and she jumped, nearly losing her balance.

Groaning in misery, Jill rubbed her face in one hand. Her nerves were absolutely shot from being on constant guard all night. Her whole body ached with fatigue and she felt grimy and unclean. A bullet to end her suffering was starting to not sound so bad.

The forest floor was starting to come into view with the pale sunlight. Jill gazed down at the three men. How long did she have until they woke up? Did it matter, she thought to herself glumly. They would soon and there was nothing she could do about it. There was nothing she could do about anything in her position. Throughout the night, she had nothing better to do than count the numerous injuries she had accumulated. She was glad she couldn't see herself. Her face and arms were cut and scraped, her left elbow bruised and bloody.

And then there was her damn knee.

She stretched her injured leg out for the first time in hours and bit back a scream. White hot pain radiated up and down from her gashed knee, making her stomach roll with nausea. Her whole leg throbbed with pain. Jill winced and reached out a hand to deal with the wound and then changed her mind. Both of her hands were filthy, sticky and stained with dried blood and dirty from holding onto tree bark all night. She gave up and dropped her hand onto her good knee.

Who's stupid idea was it to go camping anyway?

The sky begin to light up with morning and the forest grew louder and louder as its inhabitants rose to greet the day. By the time the sun had completely risen, Jill was sure the men were deaf. How could they sleep through all that racket? She watched them nervously.

A particularly loud songbird made Emmitt open his eyes. Jill tensed as he shifted positions, and then yawned and stretched. He raised himself up on one arm, cracked his neck loudly and then climbed out of Kris's sleeping bag. Jill gripped her tree branch so tightly her knuckles were turning white as she watched. He hadn't seen her.

Jill curled herself up as small as possible. Maybe she could get out of this after all, she allowed herself to think. She watched as Emmitt stumbled over to the small ice chest they had brought, rummaged around for a moment before pulling out an apple, and then tossed it onto his sleeping bag. Jill watched in annoyance. The gear her and her friends had so painstakingly packed was now making it that much easier for these men to hunt them down. She shook her head and continued watching Emmitt wander around the campsite. With another yawn, he shuffled over to a nearby tree and began to relieve himself. Jill looked away.

That, too, was so much easier for the men. It wasn't fair.

When Emmitt was finished, he walked back to his sleeping back, giving Gary and Murph a wake up shove with his foot as he passed.

Gary and Murph grumbled and began to stir, squinting their eyes against the morning light. Jill felt sick with dread. Would they see her now?

"Pills." Gary croaked, his voice thick with sleep. "Give me a pill."

Murph reached into his pack and tossed Gary the plastic bag. The pain in his leg must have been worse than hers, Jill thought, as she watched him chew and swallow a pill dry. He wasn't even bothering to move for water to wash it down with.

Good, she thought coldly. He'd be distracted.

The men slowly rose out of their beds, repeating the same morning routine as Emmitt had on different trees. Jill relaxed a bit at their distance, and watched in disdain as the men spit and scratched themselves, still in a half asleep daze.

Men are disgusting.

For once, Emmitt was the most pleasant sight of the three and Jill turned her attention to him as he sat on his sleeping bag and ate the apple he picked out. Her stomach rumbled again and she turned away in jealousy. She gazed back anxiously to the other two men when she heard their approaching voices. Her sore muscles tensed again as all three men gathered under her tree.

This was it. Would she be seen?

The men talked quietly amongst themselves as they rolled up the sleeping bags and packed up their stolen gear. Twice, Emmitt reached his face and arms towards the sky to stretch and each time it nearly gave Jill a heartache.

But she still hadn't been seen.

Jill's heart raced so fast it made her light headed. Would she really get to survive this?, her frazzled mind wondered. She held her breath as the men finished tearing down their campsite. Murph and Emmitt both looked up several times, squinting their eyes against the now bright sunlight.

Jill's heart continued hammering away in her chest. She felt like throwing up from the anxiety each time one of the men craned his neck upwards. But the sun was in their eyes apparently, because though they looked right at her, they didn't see her.

After what felt like hours, the three men trudged away, Gary limping painfully as he walked. Jill waited in shocked disbelief until they vanished from sight. They hadn't seen her? All that worrying about the sunlight exposing her and it had been the very thing that saved her.

She let out a long breath and felt like she would pass out with relief. Her long ordeal was over, she realized. With luck, she might even be able to follow the men at a distance and find her way out of here. They had the map Sabrina brought with them. Eventually, they'd give up and leave. The thought made her feel better. Jill yawned, suddenly tired again, and gazed down at the ground. She immediately frowned. Her ordeal was actually not over.

She still had to get down from this tree.

* * *

Sabrina jerked her head back and gasped in fright. Her wide eyes darted around, frantically seeking the screaming decayed zombie that had been chasing her through the cemetery.

After a second, her mind realized that she had been having a nightmare and Sabrina let out a long, slow breath and relaxed, trying to calm her racing heart. She hadn't even remembered falling asleep. And of course that had probably been the most real and lifelike dream she had ever had. She took another shaky breath and then wiped away the sheen of cold sweat that had accumulated on her forehead.

An unexpected whimper right under her ear made her start again and thump her head against the tree. She rubbed her face and muttered to herself when she realized it was just Kelly still sound asleep against her shoulder. Sabrina yawned and closed her eyes again. The nightmare had faded and she was still so very tired. It couldn't be much later than six in the morning and they both could do with another hour or two of sleep.

Kelly shifted slightly and let out a soft laugh. Sabrina immediately craned her neck to look at her, embarrassed by the possibility of her friend catching her in a moment of nightmare induced jumpiness. To her relief, Kelly was still sleeping peacefully, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Sabrina looked away, feeling stupid and embarrassed.

Here she was laughing at Kelly for being afraid and Kelly was enjoying a peaceful dream while she had been chased naked through a never ending cemetery all night by a screaming horde of skull faced demons. She wasn't even afraid of ghosts.

It wasn't fair.

Sabrina sighed and tried to go back to sleep. The breeze rustled a nearby bush and her eyes snapped open, half expecting the monster in her nightmare to be looming above her. But, there was nothing there. She closed her eyes again and was just drifting off when a bird fluttered it's wings in a branch above her head.

Her head thumped against the tree once more.

Sabrina rolled her eyes in disgust. Well, she apparently couldn't relax anymore. She settled herself back against the tree and gazed unhappily out into the cemetery. At least Kelly would get some more sleep.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Kelly murmured something in her sleep and smiled.

Sabrina narrowed her eyes at her, jealous of her peaceful dreams. She stared glumly off into the distance. A squirrel scampered up and over the headstone she had been staring at, the unexpected movement nearly making her shriek in surprise.

Sabrina swore under her breath and mentally hoped the squirrel would get eaten by a bear. Why couldn't she get over this dream?, she thought in disgust.

As if mocking her, Kelly nuzzled her head into her shoulder and sighed in contentment, the peaceful smile still on her face.

Sabrina glared at her. Well, now you're just rubbing it in, she thought enviously. She looked away and wondered how long she would have to endure Kelly's apparently joyful sleeping. Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across her face as an idea dawned on her.

Not long at all.

Sabrina fought the urge to giggle as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her knife. The ghost story she had in mind had frightened her so badly as a little girl that she snuck into her parents' bed for three nights in a row after hearing it from her older brother on Halloween. It had stayed in her mind ever since.

When she got back, she would have to remember to call and thank him.

Snickering softly, Sabrina flipped open the knife and slowly and carefully slipped the blade through one of the belt loops of Kelly's jeans and wedged it as deep as she could into the soft bark of the tree behind her.

A brief flash of remorse crossed her face. Kelly would kill her later. She hesitated, wondering if she should just pull her knife out and let Kelly sleep. This was mean.

As if on cue, Kelly giggled softly in her sleep.

This was completely necessary.

Sabrina tensed and waited for a few seconds, fighting back laughter and planning her attack. On three, she told herself.

One.

Two.

At the count of three, Sabrina threw herself away from the tree, sending Kelly toppling over on her side. Kelly sprawled face first on the grass, instantly awake and utterly confused.

Sabrina crouched in front of her and twisted her face into a look of horror. "Kelly!" she screamed. "It's got you! It's got you! Run! Run!"

Kelly's eyes bulged in panic and she scrambled wildly away from the tree, kicking up tufts of grass and dirt behind her. The knife pinned her in place and in her disoriented and terrified state, she actually believed something to be holding her down.

"Kelly!" Sabrina screamed again, laughter now obvious in her shout. "Run, Kelly!"

Crazed with panic, Kelly began shrieking in sheer terror, madly swinging her arms and legs and blindly slapping at the tree that held her prisoner. She twisted and flailed, digging trenches and tearing up the grass and dirt as she scrabbled forward in a desperate attempt for her life.

"Kelly! R-Run!" Sabrina shouted. She was plainly laughing now, though in her state Kelly didn't notice. "Hurry, K-K-Kelly!" Unable to stand it any longer, she doubled over and fell to the ground laughing hysterically.

Just as she did, Kelly's thrashing finally yanked the handle of the knife out of her belt loop and she pitched forward suddenly free and immediately clawing the dirt in front of her kicking her legs, not sure which would save her first . She lunged away from the tree and rolled over onto her back, scrambling backwards and completely prepared for a fight.

"He's g-got you!" Sabrina sputtered, her face bright red. "K-K-ell-" Her laughter overpowered her words and she rolled on the floor, clutching her sides and roaring with uncontrollable laughter.

Kelly stared at the tree in bewilderment, wild eyed and panting for breath. Her mind spun, trying desperately to figure out what had happened. She whipped her around to Sabrina, who was choking and wheezing in the dirt. Her eyes darted back to the tree, baffled by the lack of demons ready to drag her screaming into hell. All she saw was her friend's pocket knife jutting out from the tree.

Sabrina sucked in a loud gasping breath and Kelly suddenly realized that she was laughing, not possessed by evil spirits. Her eyes found the pocket knife again and realization slowly washed over her.

"Goddamnit Sabrina!" she shouted furiously.

Sabrina rolled onto her back, still in a fit of uproarious laughter. "Kelly!" she gasped. "Y-y-your face!"

Kelly pushed herself to her feet, her chest still heaving with adrenaline, and let loose a string of colorful choice words. She dropped to her knees by her traitorous friend and began swatting her with both hands.

"What the hell is wrong with you! You are twisted! Sick and twisted and evil!" she yelled shrilly, still swinging away. "You are the most horrible person I have ever met in my life!"

Sabrina howled, unable to defend herself. "K-K-Ke- I can't b-breathe!" she choked out through her laughter. Kelly flung a handful of grass at her head.

"Good!"

"Kelly! I-I-I think I'm going to-to die!"

Kelly jerked herself to her feet. "Even better! I hope you enjoy Hell!" she shrieked, pacing angrily around her incapacitated friend. "Because that's where you're spending eternity! Nestled warmly at the right hand of Satan!"

Sabrina choked and wheezed, still rolling in hysterics at Kelly's feet.

"Stop laughing! It isn't funny, Bri!"

Her friend's wrath somehow increased the hilarity of the situation and Sabrina burst into a fresh wave of laughter, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Kelly glared murderously at her, her shoulders still heaving, as she watched her best friend writhe and flop around in the dirt like a fish. As she did, the panic and anger slowly faded and despite her embarrassment, a grin slowly spread itself across her face.

That had been a mean prank, but she had to admit, it was brilliant.

In spite of herself, Kelly started to giggle and sank to ground next to her hysterical friend.

"I hate you!" she laughed, rubbing a handful of dirt and leaves in her hair. Sabrina helplessly swatted at her hands and looked so ridiculous that Kelly burst into laughter.

The girls rolled in the dirt of the old cemetery, laughing merrily, and looking completely out of place amongst the headstones and graves. When all their laughter was spent, they sat up and wiped the tears from their eyes.

"Got it all out of your system?" Kelly asked.

Sabrina grinned and nodded her head. "I think so." she answered breathlessly. She got up and helped Kelly to her feet.

"Good." Kelly answered sweetly, as she brushed herself off. "Because when you least expect it, I'm going to get you back."

She gave Sabrina a big knowing smile and then turned and walked away, leaving Sabrina to wonder just how sweet her revenge would be.

* * *

Every bone in her body had to be broken. There was no doubt about it.

Jill groaned in agony and managed to roll over on her side. She lay writhing, trying to get air back into her lungs and wishing desperately for the pain racking her body to fade.

After several minutes, she felt brave enough to discover just how many broken bones she had. She braced herself and experimentally stretched out her arms and legs. Her injured knee stung horribly and she could already feel her pant leg start to dampen with fresh blood. But that was nothing new. Her right shoulder seared in pain and for a terrifying moment, Jill wondered if she had dislocated it. But her arm rolled easily in the socket. It was hurting and sore, but not a debilitating injury. After a quick inspection, the rest of her body reported much the same.

Sore, bruised, but no lasting damage.

Jill sighed and closed her eyes. She was lying facedown on the ground, her cheek pressed into the damp, cold earth, and surrounded by torn and ragged leaves and twigs.

It was the most comfortable she had been in hours.

Wincing, she pushed her sore body off of the ground and stared up at the splintered ends of the thin branch six feet from the ground that had betrayed her. Leaves were still gently fluttering to the ground from her desperate grabbing on the way to the ground. Jill lowered herself back to the floor and groaned in disdain. Was that how far she had fallen? Six, seven feet?

It should be more judging on the amount of pain she had been in.

Jill rolled her eyes and looked around. It had taken her almost half an hour to get down the first several feet of her tree. The last six had been relatively quick. The men were probably far ahead of her, so what was another five minutes.

She lay quietly in the dirt, her body enjoying the rest despite the surroundings, and stared vacantly at the trees in front of her while she caught her breath. The grass and bushes were still, save for a slight breeze that swayed them gently back and forth. A sudden out of place movement caught Jill's eye and she focused on a rustling patch of grass several feet in front of her. The grass rustled and bobbed sporadically until a chipmunk popped its head into view.

Its little nose sniffed at the air, seeking breakfast hidden in the forest floor. Jill smiled as she watched it and went still so as to not scare it away. The chipmunk scampered around erratically, periodically stopping to sniff at the air.

Jill stifled a giggle. There weren't many chipmunks on the beach. This might be one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. Finally, the little rodent appeared to find what it had been looking for. It lifted something in its paws, immediately raised it to its waiting mouth and began to happily nibble away.

Jill watched its endearing display with interest, a calm grin spreading across her face.

A sudden reddish brown blur flashed behind Jill's little friend with absolutely no warning and snatched the little chipmunk away with a muffled squeal and a sickening crunch.

Jill shrieked in surprise, startling the fox out if its perceived sense of safety. It whirled around and stared at her with big yellow eyes before turning and darting away into the brush, the dead chipmunk hanging limply from its mouth.

Jill stared numbly after it, her mouth still open in horror. This entire forest was a dangerous and merciless place! After a moment, she shook her head and pushed herself to her knees. It was time to get out of here. She moaned miserably as she stood up and forced her sore muscles to start working. There wasn't anymore time to lie around. She was prey and she had at least learned one thing from the forest.

Prey couldn't afford to be still for long.

* * *

Kris opened her eyes and blinked, the unfamiliar scenery momentarily confusing her. A soft sigh to her left made her whirl around in surprise. She remembered who it was the instant before her eyes found the source.

Kris let out a shaky breath as the past forty eight hours came rushing back to her all at once. It was just Laura who was laying next to her, huddled close for warmth during the chilly night. Kris relaxed and rubbed her bleary eyes. Deciding not to wake Laura just yet, she sat up and looked around. Where were they?

Kris winced as she stumbled to her feet, her body protesting loudly in an vain attempt to tell her that she hadn't slept enough. She ignored it and stretched her stiff muscles. They didn't appreciate it. Walking and climbing for hours and hours had left her sore and tired. The two girls had walked through most of last night, feeling unsafe with all of the constant animal sounds they kept hearing. Finally, as dawn approached, the two had been too exhausted to continue and made a bed out of the soft grass in between a cluster of trees.

The sound of running water instantly improved Kris's mood as she walked around the surrounding area. Her mouth tried to water, but couldn't. She was so thirsty. Urgency made her turn back around and swiftly head back the direction she came.

It was time to wake Laura and see about getting out of here.

Kris walked back to her companion, her mouth aching for the water that she could hear rushing close by. She squinted up at the morning sky, shielding her eyes with one hand. By the looks of it, it was late morning which meant they hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in over twenty four hours. Kris groaned. Her whole body ached, she was starving and her head throbbed and felt heavy and muddled from lack of sleep and dehydration. She wanted to lie back down and go to sleep. But they wouldn't get out of here by sleeping.

She knelt down by Laura's side and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, wake up." she whispered.

Laura's eyes snapped open and she jerked away from Kris in alarm.

"Whoa! It's just me!" Kris cried, surprised by her reaction.

Laura let out a shaky breath and looked around, just as confused as Kris had been earlier, before realizing where she was and who she was with. She laid her head back in the crook of her arm.

"Sorry." she panted. "Just a little on edge."

Kris smiled and patted her back. "Hey, I know the feeling. You thirsty?"

Laura nodded her head. "God, yes. I think I've sucked my tongue dry."

"I found a creek." Kris said with a laugh. "C'mon. Maybe we can even follow it out of here."

Laura readily agreed and the two hurried to the creek, drinking handful after handful of the cold, clear water with little regard to any health hazards it might pose. Thirst overshadowed any lessons learned in a health manual right now. When they drank their fill, the girls took the opportunity to clean themselves up a little bit and washed the sweat and dirt off of their faces and hands. Still hungry, but refreshed by the cold water, the girls started downriver hoping it would lead them back to Kris's original campsite.

"Hey, look at that." Laura remarked as the girls trudged along.

Kris lifted her head in the direction of Laura's gaze and immediately saw what she had somehow missed earlier.

There was a rickety looking splintered wood rail fence running about fifty feet across. It looked extremely old and uncared for, broken in some places and a four foot section missing altogether in another.

Still, though, it was the most civilization they had seen all day.

Curious, the two jogged towards it and peer over the tall grass on the opposite side. The same expression of puzzled wonder crossed both of their features at the same time, and brows furrowed, the two shared a questioning look.

What was a cemetery doing out here in the middle of nowhere?

"Weird." Kris muttered, as she looked out into the cemetery. Laura slowly nodded her head in agreement.

"Well, I guess if we get bored, we can always do some grave rubbings." she added softly.

Kris quirked an eyebrow and glanced at her companion, too unfamiliar with her personality to know if she was joking or not. Laura answered her questioning look with a laughing smile.

"It was a joke." she clarified.

Kris grinned. "Good thing." she joked back. "Because I don't have any crayons."

The two girls shared a much needed giggle and walked along the length of the fence toward its missing section.

"This shouldn't just be here in the middle of nowhere." Kris said thoughtfully. "You think there might be more landmarks near by. There could be people, we could find some help."

Laura brightened. "Worth a shot." she agreed. "Let's cut through."

Kris and Laura slipped through the gap in the fence and walked as quickly as they could through the run down little cemetery, being superstitiously careful not to step on any graves. Though it was daytime, the unkempt landscaping and leaning and cracked headstones gave place an eerie, spooky feeling. The girls stuck close together as they comically zigzagged through the aisles to avoid the old graves.

"I'm glad it's not nighttime." Laura said warily, as she took a long stride over a broken statue.

Kris shuddered. "Me too. You wouldn't catch me anywhere near here if it was." she laughed. "I'm not that dumb."

The opposite fence was a welcome sight and the girls made a beeline for the small gap just behind a thick, squat looking tree. Kris's eye caught something unusual as she approached and initially dismissed it. But as she got closer, she began to feel her stomach start to knot with worry and dread.

"It looks like some animals were fighting here."

Kris looked at her companion. Laura had noticed the torn up grass and freshly disturbed soil as well. The two hurried over for a closer look. Just as they had thought from a distance, the base of the tree appeared to have been the site of a recent struggle. There were trenches dug violently into the soil, and Kris noted with alarm that they could easily have been made by a shoe and clawing fingers.

"Maybe they weren't animals." she whispered fearfully. Laura paled and immediately looked away, biting her lip guiltily. Desperate for a sign that the struggle that had taken place here hadn't involved her sister or friends, Kris dropped to her knees and closely examined the dirt. She only found more evidence to what she was dreading. This had definitely been made by the heel of someone's shoe. Someone scared and struggling for her life.

Kris let out a soft curse and sat back on her heels, brushing the dirt from her fingers. As her line of sight changed, she realized the tree had one more disturbing gift to offer her. Her eyes widened in panic.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked anxiously, noting her change in demeanor.

Kris reached out and yanked the red handled pocket knife from the bark of the tree. "This is Sabrina's knife." she whispered. "I'm sure of it."

Laura's eyes widened. "Then- then they were here not that long ago."

Kris nodded and stuffed the knife in her back pocket before rising to her feet. She swallowed hard and tried to fight back the rising anxiety within her. "And someone else might have been here with them." she said, taking Laura's arm. The girls slipped through the missing section of fence and walked quickly towards the trees behind it.

"Come on, they have to be close." Kris said tersely. "We can find them."

* * *

"Hey, look at this."

Sabrina turned to see what her easily distracted friend had spotted this time. Kelly was holding up a grayish lump in her hands and peering at it in wide eyed curiosity.

"That's a wasps nest." Sabrina said patiently. "Put it down."

"There's nothing in it." Kelly argued.

"There might be."

"But there's n- " She suddenly paused as if her attention had been caught. "Oh, wait." Kelly said distractedly. "I think there might be s-"

Sabrina jumped at her friend's sudden shriek and whirled around in surprise. The nest bounced off of her shoulder, and she flailed backward in panic, half expecting a swarm of angry killer wasps to come flying out at her.

Instead all she got was Kelly's soft laughter. Sabrina scowled at her and kicked the nest away. "Was that your revenge?" she retorted.

Kelly smiled and tilted her head. "No, Bri." she said happily. "That was me having fun. When my revenge comes, trust me, you'll know."

Sabrina groaned, feeling remorse for the prank she had pulled earlier. She wasn't sure how much longer she could take the anticipation.

"Why don't we just call a truce, Kell. This doesn't have to g-"

Kelly's sudden and urgent grab of her wrist stopped her in her tracks, cutting off her sentence mid word.

"Bri. Look." Kelly breathed. Sabrina tensed, immediately on guard by the alarmed look on her friend's face. She followed Kelly's gaze and gasped.

There about twenty feet in front of them was two of the three men from last night, walking slowly and deliberately, obviously tracking something with clues from the forest floor. The men's backs were to them, but all it would take was a simple turn of the head to give them away. Sabrina and Kelly tensed, minds racing for a solution

"Damn." Sabrina hissed quietly. "They're armed."

Kelly nodded and jerked her head towards a particularly thick pocket of bushes. "Over there." she mouthed.

The girls backed away warily. The bushes were a good twelve feet away, but as long as the men didn't turn around, they would be safe. They just had to hurry.

Six feet.

Four feet.

The girls crept the last few feet towards the bushes, treading carefully so as to not make a sound.

But it didn't matter.

Just as they were about to duck into the bushes, one of the men turned his head and looked directly at them.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

For a moment time stood still.

Sabrina, Kelly and the two men stared at each other in shock, frozen in place by the unexpected meeting.

Kelly was the first to recover.

"Move!" she yelled, shoving her friend forward. Her movement simultaneously snapped the remaining three out of their trances and unleashed a flurry of chaos into the quiet woods.

"Hey!" one of the men shouted. Sabrina and Kelly had already spun in their tracks and were tearing across the pine needle littered ground in the direction they had come. They could already hear the hurried footsteps of the two men pounding after them.

A gun fired, making the girls shriek and duck and cover their heads instinctively. Kelly lost her balance as she did and went sprawling to the ground in a heap. Unable to kill her momentum, Sabrina sprinted another twelve feet before she was able to skid to a stop and whirl around.

"Go, go, go!" Kelly shouted angrily, frantically waving her friend off. She scrambled to her feet almost instantly, but the mistake was more than enough time to render their head start useless. Sabrina watched helplessly as the big stocky Emmitt threw himself forward, grabbed her best friend around the waist and tackled her roughly to the ground. She cursed loudly and started towards them, frantic and desperate to help her friend.

A bullet whizzed by her shoulder, so close she was sure she had felt it's heat as it nicked through the thin material of her t-shirt.

In her hurry to help Kelly, she had forgotten there was another man approaching. But he clearly hadn't forgotten her.

Another bullet slammed into a tree next to her, spattering her face with chips of broken tree bark. She yelped in surprise, ducked around the tree and dashed away. She chanced one look behind her shoulder as she ran. A long haired, furious looking young man was sprinting behind her, yelling angrily with his gun at his side for the moment while he closed the gap between them.

Beyond him, she caught a brief glimpse of Kelly, pinned to the ground on her back and valiantly fending off her attacker.

Sabrina whipped her head back around and focused on her escape. Leaving Kelly behind left a sick, heavy feeling in her stomach, but she had no choice. If she stalled another second, she too would be captured and there would be no hope for either of them.

"Stop!" the angry voice behind her demanded. Sabrina leaned forward, desperately trying to gain as much speed as she could. The trees had thickened and the ground was rocky and uneven, making it necessary to watch the terrain under her feet. If she wasn't careful, she would trip and fall.

The noticeable lack of bullets flying through the air suddenly made sense.

The man behind her wouldn't take a shot, she guessed, he would be too busy watching his feet to make sure he didn't fall. He would be watching the ground just as she was doing now. Surely that presented some sort of opportunity. Sabrina racked her frazzled brain for a way to use this information against him.

A wild idea suddenly occurred to her.

It could very well get her killed, but then again so could this if she kept it up. He was catching up to her. The ground would even out soon and she wasn't fast enough to put enough distance between them to be safe from gunfire. This was certainly the lesser of the two evils.

For the second time that day, Sabrina braced herself for a reckless stunt. Only this one might leave her dead, not laughing with her best friend. His yelling and pounding footfalls sent a shiver up her spine. He was so close. Now or never.

She held her breath and mentally counted to three.

One.

Two.

On three, she let out a strangled cry and tossed herself flat to the ground. She hadn't quite anticipated the force of her fall, and the hard landing both knocked the air from her lungs and startled her. She let out a gasp of pain as her hipbone dug into a sharp rock as she rolled. That wouldn't be the last bit of pain her body suffered.

An instant later, the long haired man's foot slammed right into her side. Sabrina and her pursuer both let out a yelp of pain and surprise as the young man flew forward, his arms flailing wildly for balance that was impossible to regain.

He landed hard and slid and bounced across the dirt with his momentum. And though she could hardly breathe, Sabrina forced herself to her feet and lunged after him. He was down and the only thing really stacking the cards on his side was the gun. If she could get that away from him, she would have the definite edge and might be able to get her and Kelly out of this alive.

If Kelly wasn't already dead.

With that thought steeling her, Sabrina set her jaw in determination and flung herself at the fallen man. Her attack was unexpected to the still recovering young man writhing on the forest floor. She purposely landed with her knee on his stomach and grappled frantically for his weapon. It was sticking out of the waistband of his jeans, the black handle contrasting sharply with his white shirt. So close. Just in reach.

But impossible to get.

"Bitch!" he gasped loudly. Though winded and caught off guard, he realized right away what she was trying to do and caught her wrists. He was much too strong and Sabrina cried out in anger and frustration when she was unable to break free of his hold. The two thrashed around, the man violently swinging her back and forth to get her off of him. Finally, with a loud grunt of effort, he slung both of his arms to the right and sent Sabrina sprawling face first into the dirt. She landed on her face and shoulder and awkwardly flipped over on her back. Adrenaline coursing through her, she immediately scrambled to her feet.

He still had the gun and now was when he would use it.

Absolutely sure he was leveling his gun at her, she rushed him. The move was not a moment too soon. The instant she jerked away out of harm's way and grabbed his arm, the gun fired, the close proximity making her ears ring and her head spin. Her aggressive counter surprised her opponent and seeing his temporary vulnerability, she was able to land a solid right hook to his jaw.

Her attacker bellowed in pain and a hand instinctively flew to his face, momentarily distracted by the blow. Sabrina had to act fast. There was absolutely no room for error. She kicked her right foot out as hard as she could and connected solidly with his gun hand with all the strength she could back it with. There would be no second chance, it had to fly out of his hand or he would turn around and shoot her dead.

He yelped in pain and to Sabrina's immense relief and delight, the gun went flying out of his hand and sailed through the air into a patch of tall grass.

The moment of victory was extremely short lived. Before she could turn her eyes back to the fight, Murph landed a hard punch right to her cheekbone. Her head rocked to the side, yanking her entire body with it. She fell awkwardly to the ground, jarred half senseless by the blow.

The young man cursed loudly and threw himself over her, more than ready to pound her into submission.

Sabrina was dazed and winded, but years of training took over for her. As his body lowered onto hers, she instinctively shot her legs up under his ribcage and caught his weight on her heels. She rolled backwards with a grunt of effort and using his own momentum against him, sent him flying over her head. He let out a strangled wail and crashed awkwardly to the ground on his neck and right shoulder.

Heart pounding, Sabrina twisted herself immediately to brace for another attack. Right away she could see that it wasn't coming.

The long haired man lay groaning and writhing, one hand pressed to his neck. Sabrina winced in spite of herself. He had probably sprained it horribly when he landed. But this was no time for pity. She scrambled to her feet and rushed him.

Her decision proved to be the right one. A hard kick to the side of his head immediately put a stop to his sudden attempt to get to his feet. He slumped back to the ground with a grunt of pain, barely conscious. Sabrina kicked him once more for good measure and then stumbled backwards, panting and tingling with adrenaline.

The gun. She needed the gun.

With one eye on the man's unconscious form, Sabrina slid to her knees by the patch of grass the gun had flow towards and hurriedly rooted around for it. It wasn't hard to find. The light glinted off of the steel barrel and reflected briefly in her eyes. Sabrina scooped it up and quickly raised it in front of her, still on edge from the scuffle. She stared down at her fallen opponent and briefly considered shooting him.

But no, it wasn't self defense anymore and she wasn't yet ready to cross that line.

Mumbling curses to herself, she lowered the weapon and ran a nervous hand over her face.

Kelly.

The realization turned her blood cold. Kelly could still be in danger. She hesitated a moment, still staring warily at the unconscious man in front of her. Maybe she shouldn't have knocked him out, she realized grimly. Then she could have taken him prisoner. Now, she would have to wait until he woke up and with Kelly's life on the line, there was no way she would risk it.

Sabrina cursed loudly and then stuffed the gun into the waist band of her jeans and launched herself into a full out sprint in the direction she hoped Kelly had taken.

* * *

"Kris?"

Laura's voice finally registered in Kris's extremely preoccupied thoughts. She turned her head and blinked, realizing that she had been unintentionally ignoring her companion for who knew how long.

"Sorry. Did you say something?" she asked.

Laura smiled patiently. "I asked what time it was. And then if you were alright when you didn't answer." she repeated herself. She cleared her throat. "I see now that they were both kind of stupid questions."

Kris gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a little distracted."

"I don't blame you." Laura said quietly, lowering her eyes. "I'm worried about them too." she admitted. Kris frowned at her. She was obviously feeling very guilty about their involvement and current predicament.

"We can't be too far behind them." Kris said without much conviction. "My friends are smart. They can take care of themselves, I know they can. We just have to find them."

Laura nodded passively and then turned away. Kris sighed. If she was honest with herself, she was scared to death. There was no telling what had happened to Sabrina and Kelly. Where they alive? Kris shuddered at this thought. They hadn't found any bodies so there was a good chance they still here. Had they been attacked, killed, and disposed of? Taken by surprise and fled for their lives? Were they even still together?

The final thought sent a cold shiver of dread down her spine. She had no idea. None at all. And her sister? No sign of Jill had been seen since she left for firewood what seemed like weeks ago. The frustration and fear of the unknown flipped Kris's stomach with such nausea that for the first time that day, she was glad she hadn't eaten anything. Where were her friends and her sister? Were they alright? Hurt? In hiding? Would she ever see them again?

Kris immediately stopped the terrifying train of thought. She was starting to panic and that would do no good. She just had to make it until she found them.

Filled with a renewed urgency, she quickened her pace.

"Did you see something?" Laura asked quickly, noticing her sudden urgency.

Kris shook her head. "No, just- I'm worried. We need to find them. They can't be far."

The girls continued for close to two and a half hours at this quickened pace. Neither had much to say so great was the air of intensity and guilt coming from both Kris and Laura, and the two girls hiked through the woods in mostly tense silence. But though they wanted to move as quickly as possible, the mostly sleepless night and lack of food was taking its toll on both girls and despite their intentions, their pace began to slow. Finally, the girls were forced to stop and rest in the shade of a big leafy tree. It was mid-afternoon, hot and humid with an increasing mugginess that suggested impending rainfall. Both girls were starving and thirsty and the warm weather wasn't helping in the slightest.

Kris sat down and leaned her head against the smooth wood of the tree, brooding and frustrated with her lack of energy. Laura sat next to her, watching guiltily at her companion's distressed features. This was all her fault. Kris and her friends had been enjoying a vacation until she had come and gotten them into trouble. Laura bit her lip and fought back a sudden wave of tears. They had saved her life and she may have already gotten some of them killed. She swallowed hard and chanced another glance at Kris. Whether she knew it or not, her new friend was doing an excellent job of conveying a variety of emotions on her face. Worry, anger, frustration, and exhaustion were plainly visible.

Laura looked away and felt her face grow hot. Should she say something?, she thought to herself. Could she say anything? The silence was stifling. When it became to much to bear, she licked her lips and slowly turned her head toward her companion to offer another grim apology.

Just as the first word was about to cross her lips, there was a faint cracking sound from off in the distance. Both girls jerked their heads up in alarm.

Gunfire.

There was no mistaking it.

"Was that-?" Laura started, her awkward apology long forgotten.

Kris was frozen in her spot, eyes wide. Another crack sounded and she turned her head in the direction it had come from. "Someone's shooting." she said in a choked whisper. Yet another distant bullet fired and the girls were on their feet.

"It's coming from this way." Kris said quickly. She grabbed Laura's arm and the two girls began to run towards it. Kris set her jaw and tried to calm the fluttering in her stomach as she ran. Had her friends been alive until right now? Were they alright? She almost hoped for another bullet to fire to prove that they weren't dead yet.

Her wish came true.

Kris's stomach churned as two more shots rang out through the forest air. She had no idea what she could do if she found them in trouble, but at least they would be four instead of two. And maybe Jill was with them as well. The five of them could certainly fend off their attackers. She gritted her teeth and ignored the burning in her legs.

Just hang on, she pleaded.

* * *

Jill winced and shifted her makeshift crutch under her arm. The sturdy, gnarled stick wedged between her arm and side was the longest she could find, but she still had to hunch slightly to use it. It had been a tremendous relief when she first found it hours ago, but now in the heat of the afternoon her miracle stick was bruising the inside of her arm, rubbing her hand raw, and causing her back to ache from her slightly bent position.

All of this on top of her knee, which still throbbed with pain at the slightest jolt and stubbornly refused to go numb.

Jill wiped her face on her shoulder and bravely hobbled forward. Her friends were somewhere out here, she kept telling herself.

As if purposely placed to discourage her, a jagged rock got between her crutch and the solid ground. The end of her walking stick slipped over the rock just as she put her weight on it, pitching her to the right and wrenching her arm to the left. Jill yelped in surprise and toppled to the ground in an awkward heap.

With an animalistic cry of frustration, she jerked herself off of the dirt, snatched up her stick and flung it angrily into a clump of bushes. Three birds went flapping from their disturbed resting place into the sky.

Jill watched their shrinking forms in disgust. How easy it would be for those birds to find help. She sighed and gingerly touched her knee. Grateful for the attention, it seared with pain in response. She clenched her jaw and fought back another wave of nausea. It took ouce of willpower she had not to give in to her. Finally, she let out a labored breath. The distraction, though painful, had given her a chance to calm down from her sudden flash of anger. She needed to keep it together. She couldn't afford to lose it right now.

Jill sighed and wiped her sweaty face with her sleeve. It was muggy outside and would probably rain in a few hours. Just as well, she thought to herself, she would find shelter and get some rest. That couldn't hurt.

Relatively calm now, she crawled over to the tall grass where her stick had landed. She lowered herself onto an elbow and began to feel her way through the thick grass for her beloved stick. A rustle of leaves to her right startled her and with a gasp of surprise, her eyes flitted to the source.

For a moment she saw nothing. Then there was more movement and she realized she was staring into the yellow eyes of another fox.

The two stared at each other for moment and Jill chuckled and relaxed. Just a fox. Nothing that would hurt her. She turned her attention back to her stick.

As she did, a thought crossed her mind and she furrowed her brows in puzzlement. Why hadn't the fox run away from her?, she thought. The stick forgotten, she turned back to the little creature. At another acknowledge from a human, the fox began scrambling forward, its little paws digging uselessly into the soft earth in front of it and then Jill suddenly understood.

It was trapped.

She dragged herself closer, much to the fox's discomfort and realized that one of its back legs was tangled in a nest of brambles that it had probably been trying to slink through earlier. The poor creature looked underfed and sickly as well. She gave the animal a sympathetic look.

"Aw, you're trapped." she said softly. "Just like me."

The fox stopped scrambling and pressed itself into the ground, its entire body heaving in and out with its frantic breathing.

Jill pulled herself closer. "It's ok." she cooed. "I'll help you."

The fox made another bid for freedom and twisted and thrashed, grunting and growling with the effort. Jill froze with her hand outstretched. When the fox had settled down to watch her with wide helpless eyes, she smiled and continued.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you, Mr. Fox." she assured it in her best talking to animals voice. She reached out and carefully began to tug at the ropy plant that imprisoned her new friend. When it became clear that wouldn't work, she moved her hand closer to the fox's foot. "Just take it easy, Mr. F-"

Without warning, the once helpless creature whirled around and sank its sharp teeth into her arm. Completely caught off guard, Jill shrieked and instinctively swatted at it with her free hand. There was a quick rustle of leaves, a snap, and the fox was tearing swiftly across the ground, racing away from her in an uneven run as fast as it could, trailing a piece of the bramble behind it.

Jill watched in shocked disbelief at the bobbing plant she had been working with. What the hell had just happened?

"Damn it!" she hissed. Her arm had a perfect bite mark just above the wrist and blood was already leaking through the two holes where teeth had pierced her skin. She shook it out and let out a long string of curses.

To hell with the forest and everything in it! Was this the hellhole that everyone was trying to preserve? Jill growled in frustration. They could pave it all down and turn it into a football stadium for all she cared.

Thoroughly disgusted, Jill shoved herself away from the bramble patch and slapped her hand around angrily for her stick. A brief surge of panic filled her heart when she didn't find it right away and she deeply regretted her earlier tantrum. Fortunately for her, the stick was large and easy to spot and after a few moments of searching, her hand bumped into it. It was still warm from her touch. Her anger faded and she smiled at it like it was an old friend. With a sigh of relief she pulled it towards her and used it as leverage to carefully rise to her feet.

Even her uninjured knee wobbled as she did. The mixture of defeat, rage, relief and the few minutes of rest had zapped all of the strength out of her. She moaned and allowed her tired body to sink to the ground. It wouldn't rain for another few hours, she decided, her exhaustion suddenly making her an expert on weather. She could just sleep a few hours right here. It looked soft and she would be fairly well hidden.

Jill carefully eased herself into a lying position. The grass was prickly and sticks and rocks poked into her side.

It felt like heaven.

She closed her eyes, relishing in the drifting feeling that immediately overcame her. A far off popping noise sounded in the dream that was already starting in her mind. Then another. And another.

Jill opened her eyes and pushed herself up in alarm, suddenly wide awake. That wasn't part of a peaceful dream. She strained her ears for confirmation and got it a few seconds later. Jill groped around for her stick and shoved herself to her feet. Sleep would have to wait.

Gunshots, she realized with dread as she hobbled along. What was happening? Her mouth felt drier than ever. Whatever was going on, she was more than certain that it involved her sister and friends.

And good or bad, she had a feeling she was about to be reunited with them soon.

* * *

Kelly threw up her arm and shoved her way through the thick foliage blocking her escape. She yelped when something sharp tore into her cheek as she crashed her way through, but there was no time to be cautious.

Emmitt's heavy breathing told her he was still right behind her. She had managed to kick him off of her a few minutes ago and was now making a desperate bid for survival, dodging bullets and leaping over forest debris, just barely able to stay a few feet in front of him. But she couldn't do this forever. A plan was already forming in her head. Kelly pumped her arms faster and prepared herself to do the most crucial bit of math in her life.

How many bullets were left in his chamber? One or none?

Did he stop firing because he had depleted his bullets or because he was making the last one count? She racked her brain frantically. He had fired and missed four times during the chase. The question was how many times he had fired at her and Sabrina before they split ways.

Once? Then he still had one more bullet waiting for her. Twice? The playing field would be much more even.

Another branch whipped across Kelly's cheek and she gritted her teeth, already feeling sticky blood trickle down her stinging cheek. If missing a math problem had always meant certain death, then she would have done a lot more studying in school.

But now was not the time for regrets. Ready to do more than run for her life, Kelly decided that Emmitt had fired two shots and was now chasing her with an empty weapon.

She could only pray that she was right.

Kelly checked her speed slightly and waited for the heavy footsteps behind her to get closer. They did within seconds. Closer. Closer still. She could hear the rustling of his shirt sleeves against his sides now. He would reach out for her. There was no doubt.

Kelly waited until she could sense his outstretched hands reaching towards her shoulder. Just as his fingertips brushed the collar of her shirt, she abruptly dug her heels into the ground and thrust her elbow back as hard as she could. A hoarse gasp forced itself from Emmitt's throat as he slammed into her, jolting her much smaller body violently and sending them both bouncing and tumbling forward.

Kelly landed hard on her right shoulder and slid through leaves and dirt into the base of a tree. Rattled, she stumbled to her feet and took a blind swing, thinking him right behind her. Her fist flew uselessly through the air and the momentum of her swing sent her flailing to one knee. She caught herself and looked around frantically for her pursuer.

He was right behind her, but face down on the ground.

Kelly backed away and tried to shake the haziness out of her head. He had been much heavier and more solid than she had anticipated. He had probably hurt her almost as much as she hurt him. But he wasn't going for his gun, she noticed immediatley. Either he had been right, or he was not very smart.

Emmitt pushed himself to his feet, his features twisted in pain and rage.

"Gonna- kill- you." he choked, clutching his stomach with one hand. His face was sweaty and bright red, murder blazing in his eyes as he lumbered toward her like an angry bear.

Kelly felt a brief flash of fear. Her eyes darted around her surroundings, instinctively looking for an escape. Even if she wanted to run now, there was no way, she realized.

The creek had widened into a rushing river just behind her. There would be no way to escape unless she was able to take him down. She raised her fists in front of her and steeled herself for a fight.

Hoping to gain an edge, she let Emmitt grab her roughly by the shoulders before she flew into action. When her position was perfect, she swung her knee up into his already winded stomach. His eyes flew open in shock and Kelly took the opportunity to close one of them tightly with a left hook. Emmitt fell to one knee, cursing loudly, leaving his head and face exposed.

She couldn't let up for a second or else she'd risk losing her ground. Kelly pivoted on one foot and aimed a hard kick to the side of his head while he knelt, seemingly unaware. But Emmitt had learned his lesson. He caught her by the ankle and a one handed shove was enough to send her sprawling on her back.

Kelly was on her feet almost instantly and the two continued trading blows, some missing completely, some connecting harshly. Emmitt was beside himself with anger. Though he was managing to strike the girl in front of him, she was too fast. His fists were glancing off of her forearms or shoulder or whizzing harmlessly through the air, the debilitating blow to the head or face just alluding him. And one would be all he needed.

He was however, quickly forcing her back towards the waters edge.

Kelly ducked a potentially crippling blow and blocked another. There was no way she, in her weakened, exhausted condition, could win a fight against this man. She would have to revert back to her previous tactic of outrunning him.

Her left foot splashed into the cold, clear water of the creek and a lunatic idea popped into her head. She was faster than him, that much she knew. A sprint across the deep water of the creek would be much more difficult for his large frame than it would be for her. She narrowed her eyes, knowing she'd only get one chance for what she was planning to do.

It came before she was ready. Emmitt's fist sailed through the air, aimed straight at her face. Before she could stop herself, Kelly sidestepped the blow, latched onto his sleeve and yanked him forward, hoping to throw him off balance.

She succeeded in the worst way possible.

With a cry of surprise, Emmitt teetered forward, flailing his arms wildly for his stolen balance. His right fist closed firmly over the tail of Kelly's shirt as he pitched forward, dragging them both down into the knee deep, swirling water with a loud splash.

Had luck been on Kelly's side, she would have landed on top of him and quickly been able to squirm out of his grasp and splash her way to safety.

Luck was not on Kelly's side.

Kelly's elbows scraped into the smooth stones at the bottom of the creek, and unprepared to go down, she sucked in a mouthful of water. Frantic at the sudden loss of oxygen, she pushed herself up, kicking and thrashing in the cold water. Unfortunately, Emmitt's weight was holding her body down, only allowing her face to break the surface. She coughed and sputtered and managed to suck in another lungful of air before Emmitt realized just how much easier his mission had been made.

Grinning smugly, he planted both hands on Kelly's shoulder and shoved her back underwater.

Kelly twisted and thrashed, trying desperately to kick her feet back under her, but it was no use. Emmitt had both strength and leverage on his side. The cold fingers of panic clutched at her heart and she began to scream underwater, flailing and kicking her legs at Emmitt's to free herself.

He held her down.

Her struggling only shortened the use of the oxygen in her lungs. Less than a minute later, darkness began to creep its way through the raging panic in Kelly's mind. The same darkness that was slowly taking over her vision. A terrifying thought broadcasted itself loudly through her racing mind. Was this how she would die?

Kelly screamed again. Her lungs burned, ached for oxygen and relief that she couldn't give them. A fresh surge of panic laced desperation washed over her and she gouged tracks into her attacker's hands and struck out her legs as hard as she could. But nothing could be done. Her movements slowed, her mind grew increasingly fuzzy and without her permission, her panicking body sucked in an entire lungful of cold river water.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sabrina raced across the strewn sticks and leaves of the forest floor, crashing loudly through low hanging leaves and sending birds flapping away from their perches in fear. She was loud, she knew, but it was a bit too late for stealth. Her legs burned and her side started to hurt with the exertion. If this had been any other situation, she would have stopped to ease the uncomfortable feelings. But with a certainty she couldn't explain, she knew Kelly was in trouble and needed her help. There was no time to waste.

She glimpsed the wasp's nest Kelly had been playing with earlier and her heart suddenly stopped. Was she going the right way? What if Kelly died because she had chosen to look for her in the wrong direction?

Nearly sick with panic at the thought, Sabrina slowed and anxiously looked around her. Had they been here? She immediately spotted the overgrown bush that she and Kelly had tried to duck behind seconds before they were spotted as if answering her own question. Panting hard, she studied the area carefully. Several feet away the dirt was churned up, revealing the damp clay where either Kelly or her attacker had dug a trench with their heel during the scuffle. Sabrina rushed over and took another long look around as if expecting for her friend to have left a trail.

Whether not or not she was expecting it, she found one.

Broken twigs hung down accusingly from nearby bushes, complaining bitterly to her about being snapped. Sabrina took a deep breath and ran towards it. Now that she had calmed herself, it was fairly easy to see where they had gone. Not obvious, she wouldn't have noticed had she not been looking, but it was there.

She followed the nearly inconspicuous path of destruction as quickly as she could, panicking every time she thought she lost the trail. But it always picked back up in the shape of a stripped tree limb or crushed plant.

The sound of rushing water suddenly came to her attention as she ran. Was the creek nearby?, she thought to herself? Would they have crossed it?

The sound grew louder and louder until finally Sabrina pushed her way through some brush, further damaging it, and stopped short at the abrupt sight of the rushing creek. She jerked in surprise, the sight of the swirling water seeming to come from nowhere. Her eyes darted around frantically. Where was Kelly?

A strangled shout and splashing caused her to whip her head around. Her stomach flipped at the sight she was greeted with.

There they were. Emmitt was standing waist deep several feet into the creek, hunched over a churning disturbance in the water below him. He was drowning Kelly, Sabrina realized in horror. Without thinking about anything else, she rushed toward them, waving her arms.

"Hey!" Sabrina hollered angrily. "Let her go!"

Emmitt gave her a brief glance before turning back to Kelly, holding her underwater with renewed vigor as if that would drown her faster. Kelly splashed and kicked, churning up the cold water and sending foamy spray at her assailant. Her valiant struggle was evident in the grunting exertion written all over the man's face. But he was stronger than her and had more leverage.

Despite her brave fight, her head stayed underwater.

There wasn't much time. With all the kicking and screaming she was doing, Kelly was bound to run out of oxygen much sooner. Sabrina surged forward, holstering the gun in her pocket so that she could use both hands to slap away the branches and leaves whipping her face and arms as she ran. She reached a slope and without slowing down, leaped over a fallen log, praying that she would keep her footing when she landed. Her feet skidded in the gravely surface and she windmilled her arms frantically to keep her balance as she slid down the hill with gravity pushing her faster than her legs were able to go. She stumbled at the bottom, caught her footing and raced the short distance to the water's edge.

"Let her go!" she gasped again, leveling her gun. Kelly's splashing was growing weaker by the second and Emmitt shot her a cold determined look. He wasn't going to let her up, Sabrina realized. "Let her go or I'm shooting!" she yelled shrilly.

Another anxious, panicked look crossed the man's face and he crouched lower into the water, forcing Kelly deeper. Her struggling was much weaker now enabling him to force her to the bottom of the creek. She would lose consciousness soon, Sabrina realized. There was no time for mercy. Her best friend's life was at very real risk now.

Without another warning, Sabrina waded into the cold river, moving as quickly as she could to Kelly's attacker. Did he really think she wouldn't fire, or was he that intent on killing her? It didn't matter, she decided. He wasn't going to let Kelly up and her splashing had stopped. No more time. She leveled her gun and squeezed off a shot.

Sabrina had been aiming for his chest, but the current had thrown her off. The bullet thudded right into his shoulder and Emmitt's eyes widened in shock as he realized what his rage had just cost him. He slumped backwards without a sound, into the moving current. The water reddened and streaked out downstream, turning the clear liquid pink with his blood. The current took his body and he floated away, bobbing and lolling gently downstream.

Sabrina wasn't watching him. She wasn't sure where the bullet had struck him, and she didn't care. He was no longer holding her best friend underwater and that was all that mattered. She continued sloshing forward and was relieved to see Kelly's head explode to the surface, sending cold mist raining into her face. She gasped for air, lost her footing and went tumbling back into the water.

Sabrina powered her way through the waist deep water toward her friend, plunged both arms underwater and grabbed Kelly securely around the waist. Kelly came out of the water sputtering and gagging, coughing up mouthfuls of cold river water. Unaware of who's arms were around her, she continued fighting and began to flail and punch wildly at her friend. Sabrina did her best to restrain her.

"Kell!" she shouted, struggling to keep her footing with her friend thrashing about. "Kell, it's me! Calm down!"

Kelly didn't hear her, so loud were her frantic gasps for life giving oxygen, but stopped struggling in favor of breathing. She continued to cough and retch, desperately sucking air into her burning lungs. Sabrina bent her forward, over her arm, and slapped her back in an effort to help.

"That's it, Kell." Sabrina soothed. "Get it all out."

Kelly sucked in lungful after lungful of air, each breath growing less panicked and frantic until finally, she slumped backwards against her friend.

"Bri?" she choked. She swallowed hard and waited for an answer, panting loudly.

"Yeah, it's me." Sabrina answered, gently wiping Kelly's wet hair out of her face. "Are you ok?"

Kelly coughed, still trying to catch her breath. "Yeah-" she gasped. "-yeah. Th-" The rest of her sentence dissolved into a fit of coughing and retching. Sabrina supported her weight and managed to keep her head above water.

"Let's get you out of here, huh?" she said, when the coughing had somewhat calmed.

She slung Kelly's right arm around her neck and lifted her to her feet. Kelly swayed unsteadily as she stumbled forward, still coughing and gasping, dizzy from her near drowning. The girls waded their way to the shore where Sabrina deposited her on the gravely bank of the creek. Kelly collapsed gratefully on the ground, flopping on her back, her chest still heaving deeply. Sabrina crawled to her side and leaned over her friend's face, her brown eyes narrowed in concern. She wasn't suffocating anymore, though her eyes were shut tight as if in intense concentration.

Sabrina wiped away the hair clinging to her friend's face. "Hey, can you talk?"

Kelly nodded weakly. "Tried to- tried to drown me." she panted. "B-b-bastard."

"Well, I wasn't gonna let him do that." Sabrina answered her, a relieved smile on her face. Kelly reached up and squeezed the hand that was touching her face. "Good- good tim-timing." she sputtered. Sabrina smiled and patted Kelly's cheek.

She sat with her for a few minutes until Kelly caught her breath and was able to open her eyes and sit up. Sabrina gently persuaded her friend to lean against a tree for a few minutes and rest.

"Thanks, Bri." Kelly murmured weakly, when she could speak. "I thought I was done for sure." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the gnarled wood of her tree, her jaw quivering slightly. The water was cold and Kelly was still a bit shaken.

Sabrina took her friend's hand. "You know, I got really scared when I saw him drowning you like that." she said quietly, meeting her friend's eyes. "Really scared." Kelly's eyes swiveled in her direction as she talked, touched by her friend's concern. Sabrina bit her lip and gently brushed away some dirt clinging to her friends wet face. "So, um- " she started hopefully, "Can that be your revenge?"

Kelly rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Dream on."

"Well. Think about it." Sabrina pressed, though she knew it was hopeless. She patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically. "Are you hurt?" she asked in concern.

Kelly shook her head. "I'm fine." She opened her eyes and sat up straight. "That guy. Where is he?"

Sabrina's stomach churned uncomfortably, as she realized what she had done. "I think I killed him. I'm- I'm not sure though." she admitted. "I wasn't paying attention to him. I was trying to help you."

Kelly nodded. "No complaints. The other guy?"

"I knocked him out."

Kelly grinned at her friend and clapped her arm. "Wow, and all I did was go for a swim." she joked. "Well, I can safely say you get the MVP award for today."

Sabrina smiled ruefully. "Thanks. I'm honored." she mumbled, climbing to her feet. She looked around nervously for a few moments, wishing desperately that she was sure of Emmitt's fate. Neither him or the long haired man she had knocked out could pose much of a threat anymore, but she still felt a gnawing urgency to put some distance between them.

"You think you can walk?" she asked, turning back to Kelly. "We need to find the others and get the hell out of here. I don't want to spend another night out here."

"I'm with you."

She extended a helping hand to Kelly and pulled her to her feet. The two girls trekked along the forest, both shivering in their cold and wet state and hoping that this nightmare would soon be over.

* * *

"Was that another gunshot?"

Laura sighed and shook her head. "No, I don't think so, Kris."

Kris frowned. "Yeah, I guess I'm hearing things again." she muttered in a defeated tone. She took a deep breath and let out it as slow as she could to calm the panicky, fluttering feeling in her chest. The last gunshot had been at least two hours ago and with nothing else to go on, Kris felt lost, hopeless, and beyond frustrated. Their quick pace had left both of them thirsty and exhausted and with absolutely nothing to show for it. They still didn't know where the others were or if they were even alive.

Kris tripped over a pine cone as she walked and stumbled forward. She caught her balance easily, but whirled around in anger anyway, ready to stomp the life out of the offending thing. The pine cone had better luck than they did, because Kris managed to stop and calm herself down. She took another deep breath. Losing her cool wouldn't accomplish anything. Laura was counting on her and she needed to be in control of herself. The pine cone would live to trip someone else.

"You ok?"

Shaken out of her thoughts by Laura's sudden question, Kris forced a smile. "I'm ok. Worried, that's all. And tired."

Laura nodded, suddenly looking very hesitant. "Um-" she started slowly. "Look, I think we lost the trail. And you look really tired. Do you want to rest for a minute?" She looked at her companion apprehensively as if she half expected Kris to blow up at her for suggesting that they stop. When Kris didn't argue, she pressed on. "Just five minutes. You're walking funny, that's all."

Kris stopped and sighed in defeat. They were both staggering along, the last of their strength zapped out of them by the past two hours of on and off jogging. Energy wasted in vain because they had failed to locate anything other than acres and acres of forest.

"Yeah. Yeah you're right. I just thought-"

Laura shrugged. "We'll find them." she insisted. "Or they'll find us. Five minutes can't hurt."

Kris smiled, glad to let Laura make the decisions if only for a few minutes. At least one of them knew how not to kill themselves. The two girls sank wearily to the ground in the shade of an overhanging tree limb and rested their backs against the surprisingly soft moss covered bark.

"Five minutes, ok?" Laura said with an understanding smile, holding up a hand. Kris nodded and leaned her head back against the tree. Her muscles tingled with relief and her feet throbbed. It felt nice to stop moving. She looked to Laura, but her companion appeared to be deep in thought. And she didn't really have much to say anyway. Kris turned away and absently toyed with Sabrina's knife inside of her pocket.

Were they ever going to get out of here? Surely, when Jill, Kelly, and Sabrina didn't show up for work tomorrow, people would come looking. Bosely knew where they were going, he would be able to send a rescue team.

But Monday was still another day away. Kris sighed unhappily, and felt the sick dread once again stir up inside of her. Would they make it another day? She sighed and tried to push the troubling thought from her mind. To distract herself, she focused on the faint sounds of the forest world around her hoping it would clear her head. Birds chirped, plants rustled, rodents scurried through the trees unwittingly lulling the two exhausted girls into a drowsy state.

Without even realizing it, Kris's hand slipped away from the knife and she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"Somebody shoot their damn gun!" Jill vented angrily to the empty woods around her. Her echo and a distant flutter of bird's wings was her only response.

She bent down to catch her breath and cursed loudly in frustration. How much longer could she do this?, she thought miserably. The bullets had stopped hours ago and now she had no idea where she was, no idea where her friends were or if they were even alive, and no idea how much longer she could stay standing. Her unhappy thoughts were interrupted by the far off rumble of thunder. She groaned in misery.

And on top of all of that, it was going to rain.

Still cursing to herself, Jill gritted her teeth and continued hobbling along. She tried her best to ignore the wobbling in her good leg. It would have to carry her until she found help. There was no other choice.

She trudged along slowly, carefully watching the ground in front of her to make sure she didn't slip again. Her caution was wasted however. The stick was strained just as much as her good leg was and hours of putting pressure on the same spot finally took its toll.

With a loud crack, Jill's crutch splintered in the middle and once more sent her flailing to the ground. She instinctively landed on her hands and knees and screamed in agony as grit, pine needles and pebbles dug into her wound. She lay writhing, fearing for a terrifying few seconds that she would black out from the pain. Determined to stay conscious, she bit her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut to wait for the searing pain in her knee to subside enough for her to breathe.

When it finally did, her first breath released itself in a loud and furious curse. For the second time that day, she grabbed a piece of her stick and flung it angrily into a clump of bushes. It crashed into the foliage and stuck visibly about six feet off of the ground as if mocking her. That was all it took. Enraged now at her traitorous stick, Jill grabbed the second piece and hurled it violently towards the first.

The two pieces of her stick smacked together and disappeared from sight.

Jill groaned and sank to the dirt, drained and more hopeless than she had ever felt before. Her blue eyes welled up with tears of fear and frustration. She was going to die out here, she realized. Snap and die just like her stick had done. She closed her eyes and swallowed the feeling of nausea burning in the back of her throat.

A faint clinking sound suddenly floated to her ears from beyond the brush where she had banished both pieces of her stick. It continued, each time growing softer and more distant. As if something was falling. Jill knitted her eyebrows in puzzlement. Was that her stick falling? Falling where?

Curiosity overshadowing her fit of despair, Jill pushed herself up and managed to drag her body over to the dense brush where she had sent her stick. The leaves and branches blocked her sight, so she flattened herself as best she could and squirmed underneath. After crawling a few feet into the thick brush, her eyes widened in surprise.

The brush had been hiding a steep drop off, at least twenty feet of jutting tree roots, rocks and more bushes. It would have been an impressive sight had her situation been better.

Jill sighed. Even if she wanted her stick there was no way she could get it now. As an afterthought, she craned her neck to see if she could find it amongst all the woodsy debris. She stopped looking and gasped in shock after a few seconds.

Had she looked more to the left, she might have spotted the remains of her stick lying crossed together on top of a patch of scraggly grass. But right now, the stick was the farthest thing from her mind.

Sitting several yards to her right, at the bottom of the slope and half hidden with dirt and brush was her car.

Jill stared at it in disbelief. They had dumped it down here. Rolled it right down the steep hill as evidenced by the torn grass, crushed plants and snapped tree roots left in its wake. Jill swallowed hard. The car was banged up and dented, but far from destroyed. Would the phone work?

She scooted forward, forgetting about her knee in the moment. It dragged against the ground and she hissed loudly as an intense jolt of pain seared up from her knee to her entire body. The hope that was building up inside of her immediately deflated as she clutched her wounded knee in agony.

There was no way she could get down there in her condition without breaking her neck.

Unless she had a rope?

Jill quickly dragged herself out from under the bushes and sat back to think. Where could she find a rope? She racked her tired brain for several minutes but came up empty, much to her growing frustration. She groaned in misery. There had to be a way. She was so close. Too close to give up now. What would her friends and family say to each other at her funeral if her body was found less than fifty feet from salvation?

Without another thought, she pushed herself to her feet and began hopping as best as she could along the forest.

She had no idea what she was looking for, but she was done sitting still. This was a time for action. There was something around here that could get her down that hill and she was going to find it.

* * *

The heat of the day gradually began to ease as evening approached. While relief from the heat was greatly appreciated the previous day, Kelly and Sabrina groaned in dismay as they felt the temperature began to drop. Their clothes were still damp from their close encounter at the river hours earlier.

A cool breeze rustled through their wet hair and clothes and both girls shuddered. They were exhausted, hungry, and chilled. This night would be miserable.

"You know-" Kelly started pleasantly, through slightly chattering teeth. "If we work our angle right, we might be able to get tomorrow and Tuesday off."

Sabrina laughed at her random comment. "You think? Bosely will probably send someone out here to fire all of us if we don't show up tomorrow."

"Fair enough. I just hope he sends him with pizza."

The girls giggled again. Though they were trying to keep their morale up, the taxing ordeal was starting to seem hopeless. The threat of dying out here was becoming more and more real the longer they went without food or adequate rest. In a few hours, it would be the third night they had spent out in the wilderness and the idea of anymore after that made both girls sick. Sabrina especially felt out of control and hopelessly frustrated and worried. She had managed to rescue her friend from being murdered, but for what? To die a slow death of starvation or exposure in the wilderness? She felt like destroying something. But maybe talking would help. Her best friend was a realist. She didn't cling to false hopes and dreams and if Kelly thought there was a way out then there most certainly was.

"Kell?" Sabrina called thoughtfully.

Kelly turned and looked at her expectantly.

"You think we'll get out of here?"

Kelly shrugged, as if Sabrina had been asking about something as mundane as the weather. "We will." she said confidently. "Two of those guys aren't much of a threat anymore. We just need to wait until someone starts looking for us. They'll probably start tomorrow afternoon, and I don't plan on dying before they find us."

Sabrina nodded, feeling a surge of admiration for her friend. She hadn't once heard Kelly complain or feel sorry for herself since this had all started. She smiled inwardly. That shouldn't have come as a surprise, Kelly had always been a survivor. Her friends simple plan made her feel better. "Yeah, I don't either."

"And Kris, Jill and Laura are doing the same thing we are. They're all fine. They might even be better off than we are." Kelly continued, sensing her friend's need for encouragement.

Sabrina laughed. "They're probably dry."

Kelly opened her mouth to say something else and then suddenly snapped it shut. Sabrina felt her stomach drop at the abrupt look of alarm on her friend's face. A sense of déjà vu prickled the back of her neck. Hadn't this just happened? Right before they were almost killed?

"Kell. What?" she whispered anxiously.

Kelly's face paled as if she was going to be sick. "Look." she breathed. Sabrina turned in the direction of Kelly's pointed finger and gasped in surprise. The forms of two young women lay curled up on the ground at the base of a large tree.

"Are they-?" Kelly asked shakily, unable to voice her thought.

Sabrina shook her head swiftly. "No." answered immediately, unwilling to accept anything else. "They can't be." She took hold of Kelly's hand and both girls rushed over to where their companions were lying. As they got closer, the gentle rise and fall of the girl's chests made it obvious that they were sleeping. Not dead as both Kelly and Sabrina had feared.

Kelly breathed a harsh sigh of relief, feeling herself almost melt as her muscles relaxed. "They're sleeping." she whispered. "Just sleeping."

Sabrina felt an intense desire to break out into giddy laughter she was so relieved. Instead, she knelt down toward Laura, who was closest and gently shook her shoulder.

"Hey!" she whispered loudly. "Wake u-"

Laura suddenly bolted upright and before Sabrina could remember why she had felt a nagging voice tell her not to get too close to the young woman, she yelped in surprise and lashed out a fist.

She caught Sabrina right in the nose, which was still tender from the last time they had seen each other. Both Sabrina and Laura's cries of surprise were enough to send Kris's eyes flying open. She immediately jumped to her feet, both disgusted at herself for falling asleep and fully expecting them to be under attack.

"Can't you just say hi?" she heard a familiar voice whine loudly.

Kris blinked. Was it possible? Was she dreaming? Was it really Sabrina on her hands and knees right in front of Laura?

"I'm so sorry!" Laura cried guiltily. "Oh my God- I didn't-I thought-"

Kris shook her head in disbelief and broke out into huge grin. Sabrina was here. And so was Kelly, standing right in front of her, eyes locked on Sabrina and an amused look on her face. She snapped out of her trance.

"Kelly! Bri!" Kris cried out in joy. She launched herself at her closest friend and flung her arms around her neck. Kelly, not expecting it, went stumbling backwards with the force of her friend's hug.

"Whoa!" she cried in surprise, as she flailed her arms to catch her balance. Before she had caught her balance and returned the hug, Kris was already well into a rambling fit.

"Are you ok? Where have you two been? We've been wandering around forever and we found Bri's knife and we heard gunshots and-"

She paused mid sentence and suddenly looked puzzled. "Why are you all wet?"

Kelly laughed and patted her back. "Long story, kiddo."

Kris squeezed her again, then released her and plopped down next to Sabrina, who was still muttering and cursing to herself. Kris ignored her ranting. "I'm so glad to see you!" she said, throwing her arms around her friend. Despite her pain and irritation, Sabrina smiled, kissed the top of her friend's head and gave Kris a tight one armed hug. The other was still firmly cupped against her injured nose.

"Are you alright, Kris? You look terrible."

Kris paused and pulled away slightly, a tension relieving grin on her face. "I look terrible? Have you two seen yourselves?"

Kelly knelt down next to them and laughed. "No. And if you have a mirror go ahead and break it. I don't want to see myself until I've at least had a shower."

Kris giggled and pulled both of her friends into another hug. "I'm so glad you found us."

Laura sat by awkwardly, still feeling embarrassed about Sabrina and out of place at the happy reunion between the three friends. She waited until they had pulled apart before clearing her throat and making her presence known.

"Hey." she said, looking guiltily at Sabrina. "I'm really sorry."

Sabrina grinned and waved her hand dismissively. "It's alright. I'm kind of getting used to it."

Kelly laughed and poked Sabrina's cheek. "She can just add it to her collection." she joked. The three girls giggled again, giddy and punch drunk with relief and happiness.

Feeling better at the girl's easy going demeanors, Laura smiled and relaxed a bit. "I'm glad you two are alright." she said shyly. She stood up and walked towards the group, who also rose to their feet to greet her with friendly pats on the shoulder and arm.

"So-" Kris started, the happiness melting from her face. "Jill? Nobody has seen Jill?"

Kelly and Sabrina looked down somberly, the happy mood instantly killed. "No." Sabrina answered for both of them. "We were hoping she was with you."

Kris sighed and nodded her head. "We were hoping the same." she said quietly. Kelly and Sabrina exchanged a quick worried look. Neither had seen a trace of Jill since she walked away to gather firewood what seemed like weeks ago. Was that the last time they would ever see her?

"We'll find her, Kris." Kelly offered sympathetically, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will."

Kris nodded weakly, doing her best to fight tears. She felt drained all of a sudden and was all the more glad her two friends had found them. Now that Sabrina and Kelly were here, they could be strong for her and Laura and give her a mental break. The four girls stood by silently, wondering what to do about their missing friend.

As if brought on by the sudden gloomy mood of the four women, a clap of thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. The girls turned to look off in the direction it had come from and groaned. A mass of dark clouds was hovering overhead, miles away, but still an immediate threat to them without shelter.

"When it rains-" Kris muttered in defeat.

"Well, it looks like you'll get your shower soon enough, Kell." Sabrina grumbled. Kelly rolled her eyes and shoved her tolerantly.

"Let's see if we can find somewhere to hide before the storm gets here." she sighed.

The four women trudged off into the forest in search of some means of shelter from the rain. Ten minutes into their hike, they stumbled upon a rocky formation with enough of an overhang that the four of them could squeeze underneath and be somewhat protected from the upcoming downpour. The girls carefully positioned themselves in the little space and tucked in their feet to test it. It might be dry, but it certainly wouldn't be comfortable.

"This is probably as good as its going to get." Kelly said grimly, pushing herself out of the confining enclosure. She wouldn't be able to stay there all night with her claustrophobia, but decided not to say anything. Getting wet never killed anybody, she decided. She took another look at their shelter and sighed.

They would all probably still get wet, she realized. Especially if the rain came at a slant, which with their current luck, was almost entirely certain.

Sabrina, Kris, and Laura joined her and examined their crude shelter critically. Kelly wasn't alone in her skepticism. Not by far.

"Davy Crockett would be ashamed of us." Kris muttered in disgust.

Sabrina smiled, though she agreed completely. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad." she argued half heartedly.

Kris raised an eyebrow and Sabrina sighed and relented at her withering look. "Yeah, ok, it is that bad. But what else can we do?"

The girls looked around their surroundings and at each other as they thought of a possible answer to her question. Laura had been mostly quiet since once again punching Sabrina in the face, but at this chance to be useful and work toward redeeming herself, she spoke up.

"I saw this plant with big leaves back there. We have a knife. I bet we could rig something to keep the water out." she suggested meekly.

The three girls looked at each other and shrugged. It was a better idea than any of them could come up with.

"Leaves like that one?" Kris asked, pointing to a bush about thirty feet away.

"Yeah." Laura agreed. "It was just like that."

"Ok then. I'll be right back."Kris offered.

Both Kelly and Sabrina made a face. Jill had said the same thing before disappearing three nights ago. "Don't say that." Sabrina scolded, a pained look on her face. "You'll jinx yourself."

Kris laughed tolerantly, catching her mistake. "It's just right there. You can still see me." she replied, tossing Laura the knife. "Here, you can start doing whatever it is you plan on doing. Keep those two in line for me."

With that, she turned and jogged off to go collect the desired leaves. She really had no idea what Laura planned to do with the large leaves, but hoped that it would save them from a very miserable night. She reached the tree and was pleased to see that the leaves were bigger than she had thought. Just about the size of both of her hands. They would do very well in fashioning whatever Laura planned to make. With the distant bickering of her three companions in her ears, she bent down and began to yank out as many of the big leaves as she could, being careful not to rip them and render them useless.

So absorbed was she in her work, that she didn't notice a rustling coming from deep within the dense pocket of foliage. Not until the bush right in front of her rattled with approaching movement, did Kris jerk her head up in surprise.

Someone was coming, she realized in horror. Or more than one someone. She froze in her spot and desperately wished she hadn't given Laura the knife. Her mind raced. Sabrina, Kelly, and Laura were thirty feet away, they couldn't immediately protect her and if she screamed now, she would give herself away.

Terrified, she dropped down to her stomach and started to wave frantically to her three friends. She almost screamed when she realized none of them were looking at her. The rustling gave way to the audible snaps of twigs and outright crashing through the tall grass. Kris snapped her head back to the brush in front of her, grabbed a nearby stick and crouched underneath the oversized leaves of her bush. She twirled the heavy stick anxiously in her hands.

Whoever was coming, they would have to pass right by her. She squeezed her stick tightly and prayed she would at least get a chance to use it.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jill limped through the dense and seemingly never ending forest of shrubbery and tree limbs, still on her quest for something to function as a rope. She hadn't been able to find a suitable replacement for her broken stick either, and so now was making due without one. She hopped on one foot, using anything around her for handholds to keep from putting weight on her injured knee. Unfortunately, the result made her progress through the brush very loud. But she didn't see any other way.

And right now, she didnt care.

Jill winced as a thorn from a menacing looking bush caught her sleeve and scratched into her arm as she grabbed it. She let it go slowly, to avoid it flinging back at her and doing further damage. Another twig poked at her face and she carefully bent her head away from it with a sigh of frustration. The foliage was so thick, she was literally forced to carve her way through it, using her whole body to push a pathway to the other side.

Wherever the hell that was.

Finally, just as she feared she would lose her mind, the brush gave way into a pretty little clearing. Jill sighed in relief and hopped forward. Instantly she realized that she had a whole new problem on her hands now. There was nothing else to grab on to keep her balance.

She sighed, grabbed hold of an unusually large leafed plant and took a hop forward, completely unaware of the presence hiding just on the other side. She needed a vine or ropy plant. Did vines grow in the forest? Surely they did. Nature had to provide something for lost people to hang themselves with.

Oblivious to the baited breath coming from below her, Jill braced herself and took another little hop. Her good leg was buckling with fatigue. Soon she would be reduced to crawling. But, if she could just get to the car it wouldn't matter. With that positive thought warming her, she smiled and prepared herself to let go of the big leafy bush she was holding on to.

Just as she did, the bush suddenly erupted upwards, sending twigs and pieces of leaves bursting through the air. Jill yelped in surprise and jerked backwards. She immediately lost her balance and went crashing to the ground, the limb still clutched in her hand. A dark figure was looming over her as she fell backwards, features blocked by the sunlight in her eyes, a weapon raised over its head to kill her.

Jill shrieked in terror and let go of the limb she had been holding to throw her hands protectively over her face. The heavy limb whipped backwards with an audible whoosh.

"Ji-?

The rest of the figure's word melded instantly into a sharp cry of pain as the bush snapped back in its face.

"Ow!" it wailed incoherently.

That voice? Here? Now?

Jill blinked in confusion and raised a hand to shield the sun from her eyes. She squinted at what was now clearly the figure of a petite woman hunched over and vigorously rubbing her face. It couldn't be?

Could it?

"Kris?" she croaked in disbelief.

"You hit me right in the eye!"

Jill pushed herself to a sitting position and began to laugh deliriously. "Kris!" she cried joyfully. "Oh, Kris! I found you. Thank God!"

She had been wondering how she was going to get up and give her little sister the big hug she was dying to give her, but Kris immediately solved her problem by throwing herself to her knees in front of Jill and throwing her arms around her.

"Jill! Where've you been? I've been so worried, I thought you were with Kelly and Sabrina and then you weren't and I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again!" she rambled as fast as she could.

Jill couldn't even speak, she was so glad to see her sister again. She let Kris ramble incoherently into her shoulder for a few moments longer and then patted her back.

"I'm so glad you're ok." she murmured in her ear.

Kris stopped mid- ramble and pulled away from her to take a big composing breath. "I'm fine, Jill. And so are Laura, Kelly, and Sabrina."

Jill's eyes widened. "They're all with you?" she asked excitedly, craning her neck to look for them. "Where?"

Kris smiled and wiped her eyes dry with the back of her hand. "Just over there. They're going to be so happy to see you. Stand up and you can see them." she said, rising to her feet.

Kris realized the inanity of her instructions the moment her eyes locked on Jill's blood soaked pant leg. Her mouth opened in horror and she quickly sank back down to the ground at her sister's side, her face tight with worry.

"Oh, Jill, you're hurt. Wha-"

Jill shook her head and draped an arm over her sister's shoulder. "Just help me up. I'm alright. You can be my stick."

"Your what?"

"Nothing. Just help me up, ok?"

Kris tore her eyes from the bloody mess of her sister's knee and nodded her head weakly. With her sister's arm secured around her neck and an arm wrapped supportively around her waist, Kris slowly rose to a standing position, bringing Jill up with her. She winced at her sister's stifled whimper of pain as she pulled her to her feet. She glanced at her face, wondering if she could keep going. Jill's eyes were shut tight, her sweaty face pale, and her breathing labored. She clearly was in a great deal of pain.

As if reading her mind, Jill opened her eyes and forced a smile. "I'm fine, I promise." she insisted, her voice strained and breathy with pain. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Jill." she answered. "What happened to you?"

Jill smiled weakly. "Long story, kiddo."

Kris raised an eyebrow. Why was everyone telling her that? Did they have a time constraint that she wasn't aware of? Jill didn't notice her sister's look and the two began to slowly shuffle forward. "I'm sorry for not being there to protect you." she said solemnly.

Kris stopped and turned her head to stare at her. In addition to her mangled knee, her sister's face was scratched bloody and bruised, her clothes were torn and stained with blood and her arms were covered in scrapes and cuts. She looked like the one that needed protecting. The three men must have really worked her over and Kris found herself anxious to hear how her sister had escaped their clutches.

"Right." she managed after a second. "Don't worry, as long as we're all ok."

Apparently satisfied with her answer, Jill gave her an affectionate squeeze and the girls continued their slow progress to the others. As they approached, Kris called out to her friends.

"Hey! Look what I found!"

The three girls turned around curiously at Kris's announcement. Sabrina and Kelly's eyes widened in surprise at seeing their missing best friend.

"Jill!" they cried, their faces brightening considerably. The two jumped to their feet, rushed over to her, and threw their arms around her in a crushing hug. Jill weakly returned it, just as happy to see them, but lacking the energy to show it

"Where have you been?" Sabrina cried. "What happened to you?"

Jill groaned. "Everything happened to me." she muttered.

Her friends picked up on the weariness in her voice and released her. Once they did, they were able to take in the grim sight that was the rest of her battered body.

"You look terrible." Kelly remarked in concern. Jill sighed and decided to ignore her comment. It's not like it was news to her.

With Sabrina's help, the two took Jill from Kris's grip and gently lowered their friend to a sitting position against the large rock they had been resting on and crowded around her. Jill immediately slumped against Kelly and dropped her head on her friend's shoulder, too tired to hold herself upright.

Sabrina quickly examined her friend for any serious injuries and immediately locked onto her gashed knee. Kelly, Kris, and Laura noticed it right as she did and grimaced at the amount of blood covering their newly reunited friend.

"This looks really bad." Sabrina said softly. She began peeling back the dirty fabric covering the wound to examine it further. Kelly furrowed her brow worriedly as she watched and placed her hand on her friend's bruised and scratched cheek.

"Jill, tell us what happened." she asked gently.

Jill made a face and huddled closer to her friend. "I got lost in the woods, fell down a bunch of rocks, got chased by a group of thugs, got stuck in a tree all last night, fell out of it this morning, got bit by a fox and now Bri is hurting my knee." she mumbled.

Sabrina immediately withdrew her hand.

"How'd you get away from those guys?" Kris asked. She knelt in front of her sister and put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"I climbed a tree." Jill answered. She shuddered at the memory of last night. "Got stuck up there all night."

Kris frowned, visibly upset by her sister's close call. She smoothed back her hair. "You're lucky they didn't shoot you." she said quietly.

Jill nodded. "I know. If they had seen me, they would have. I'm sure of it."

Sabrina suddenly looked confused. "They didn't see you?" she asked.

Jill shook her head.

The confusion was contagious. Sabrina, Kelly, Kris and even Laura exchanged puzzled looks. They assumed Jill had been captured and viciously beaten.

"At all?" Sabrina pressed.

"No." Jill answered. "Well, yes, they saw me. But I hid in the tree and they couldn't find me."

The girls shared another look, wondering who would voice the question that was puzzling them all.

"So, they didn't beat you up?" Kelly asked, solving everyone's dilemma without realizing it.

Jill opened her eyes and looked bewildered. "No. They didn't catch me. I hi-"

Sabrina cut her off. "You hid in the tree. Right." she said slowly. A grin started spreading itself across her face. She caught Kelly's eye and saw that she was grinning as well.

Kelly cleared her throat. "So, what you're saying is that nobody hurt you-."

Jill opened her eyes in surprise. "No- I mean- well-" she stammered, seeing she was backing herself into a corner.

"- and you did all of this to yourself?" Kelly added, a hint of laughter in her voice.

Jill glared at her, then pulled away and rested herself against Sabrina's shoulder. "Don't start with me, Kelly." she warned.

Kelly snickered behind her hand. "You're without a hairdryer for forty eight hours and this is what happens to you?" she giggled.

"Shut up." Jill muttered. She laid her head on Sabrina's shoulder and closed her eyes. Sabrina put her arm around her slighted friend and rubbed her back sympathetically. "Don't listen to her, Jill." she soothed. She cleared her throat and quickly neutralized the amused expression on her face. "It's not your fault. If my hair looked as bad as yours does now, I might think about suicide too." she said seriously.

Kelly and Sabrina burst into laughter.

Jill's face flushed a bright red and she jerked away from Sabrina's shoulder and gave her a shove.

"It's not funny!" she scolded. "I'm tired and I hurt all over!"

Still scowling at her two best friends, she scooted over to Kris's side and buried her face in her shoulder.

Kris smiled, biting back a giggle at her sister's expense. "Aw, Jill." she whispered. To her credit, Kris had been doing her best not to make light of Jill's ordeal. But with Sabrina and Kelly laughing, it was difficult to do. She stroked her sisters hair comfortingly and tried to keep her mouth shut.

It proved to be an impossible task.

"So, I guess this would be a bad time to point out that you forgot the firewood, huh?."

Jill groaned and pulled herself away, clearly humiliated, and irritated at not receiving the sympathy and kindness she had been craving. She contemplated nesting on Laura's shoulder and then decided she didn't know her well enough so, out of options, she leaned back against the uncomfortable rock and covered her face with both hands.

"I hate all of you." she muttered, rubbing her face in frustration.

Sabrina and Kelly giggled and then scooted over next to her.

"We're just teasing. Good to have you back." Sabrina said, giving her a sideways hug. Jill grumbled a reply but fell into her friend's shoulder. Sabrina laughed. Forgiveness was apparently easy to get when one made a more comfortable resting place than a boulder.

"Oh!" Jill gasped, popping her head back up. She looked excited and urgent.

"What?" Sabrina asked in alarm.

"The car!" Jill started breathlessly, waving an arm in it's direction. She continued talking over her friend's excited murmurs. "I found the car! It's down there! I think the phone might still work, I was coming over here to find something to help me get down there!"

"Down there? What?" Kelly asked, leaning forward anxiously.

"They pushed it into a little valley. We won't be able to drive it out, but we could call for help if the phone works!"

The girl's shared a look. There might be hope yet.

"Where is it, Jill?" Kris asked, taking her sister's hand. Jill pointed. "That way about fifteen minutes. Be careful though, it looks tricky getting down."

Sabrina laughed. "And just how were you planning on getting down there?"

"I don't know. I was looking for something like rope." Jill answered with a shrug.

"With your leg like that?" Kelly asked in astonishment. "You would have killed yourself, Jill."

Jill scoffed. "Look at me, Kelly. At this point what would a few more broken bones really matter?"

She hadn't meant it to be funny, but the girls chuckled softly anyway. Exhausted by her excited outburst, Jill slumped back into Sabrina, panting with the exertion. Kelly patted Jill's good knee and then pushed herself to her feet.

"Just rest here, Jill." she said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "I'll go find it."

Jill nodded, half aware of Kelly's voice and closed her eyes with a weary murmur. Sabrina raised an eyebrow and caught Kelly's eye, who understood and nodded grimly in acknowledgement. Maybe Jill was worse off than they both thought.

"I'll stay here with her." Sabrina offered.

"Good idea." Kelly agreed. She turned her head towards the direction she planned on going and squinted her eyes against the fading sunlight. It would be at least a fifteen minute walk according to Jill. "Kris? Come with me?" she asked.

"Sure, Kell." Kris said, pushing herself to her feet. She knelt in front of her sister, who had already fallen asleep, and looked up at Sabrina. "You think she's ok?"

Sabrina nodded and shifted Jill more comfortably in her arms. "She'll be ok. I don't think she's slept." she answered reassuringly.

Kris frowned and patted her sister's arm. "We'll be right back." she said unnecessarily, before rising and joining Kelly a few feet away. Laura, not knowing what to do with herself and still feeling embarrassed about punching Sabrina, rocked on her heels for a few seconds and then followed them.

The three wandered along, following Jill's directions as best they could. Before they expected to, the girls were standing in front of the concealing bushes that Jill had thrown her stick into. The trip was much, much shorter than Jill had described however, and they quickly realized why.

"Your poor sister." Kelly remarked with a slight laugh. "It must have taken her forever to get here."

Kris nodded. "I'm amazed she did." she said as the three moved closer to the edge.

The trio stared down at the sad looking white Cobra, each examining the area for possible hand and footholds. It wouldn't be too difficult a climb. Not easy, especially with Jill in the condition she was in and dusk quickly approaching, but not impossible.

"Alright." Kelly said, pushing up her sleeves and stepping forward. "If I fall, don't tell Jill." she joked. Kris and Laura followed her to the edge and watched her hop off and land on some thick jutting tree roots.

Laura knelt down and cringed as she watched her new friend steadily work her way down the steep climb, hoping to God she wouldn't fall and hurt herself. Just seeing Jill had made Laura want to cry. It was her fault that poor girl was hurt the way she was, just like it was her fault that Kelly was risking injury by climbing down to their car to get them out of the mess she herself had involved them in. She turned her attention to Kelly, who was about six feet down the face of the slope. Just as she did, Kelly's grip on a soft plant root slipped, sending her skidding down with a yelp against the dirt until she was able to latch onto something else and stop her fall.

"Kelly!" Kris shouted, pacing helplessly. "Be careful!"

Kelly's frustrated reply was cut off by Laura.

"Hold on!" she called, swinging her legs over the edge of the ledge. "I'll help you!"

"Laura! Oh- you don't have-" Kris sputtered worriedly, grabbing at her sleeves.

But Laura ignored her and Kris could only watch helplessly as she caught up to Kelly, who, grateful for the offer, had stopped to let her catch up.

"I'm coming too!" Kris called.

Laura looked up and shook her head. "No, wait!" she called. "Even if the phone doesn't work, the car will make better shelter from the rain. We can all camp out in there."

Kelly, who had been thinking along the same lines, immediately agreed. "She's right, Kris." she said, looking up at her friend. "You can go help Bri get Jill down here."

Kris hesitated a few seconds longer then nodded and disappeared from sight.

Laura and Kelly carefully scaled down the rest of the steep hill, using each other for leverage and balance. Finally, sweating and winded, the two girls planted their feet securely at the bottom of the steep incline and looked up in disbelief at the seemingly impossible climb they had just finished. After catching their breath for a second, the pair turned their attention to the car. Now that they were at the bottom, it didn't look so far away and unattainable. The girls shared a triumphant look and jogged toward it.

"How considerate of them." Kelly quipped dryly as she pulled the car door handle. Gary had apparently not bothered locking the door before dumping their vehicle. Not having to break a window and negate it's purpose of keeping them dry was a relief. And probably the first piece of good luck that had landed in their lap in days.

The first cold drop of rain splatted right between Kelly's eyes just as she dropped down into the driver's seat. Laura followed suit and slid into the passengers seat, looking around the damaged car admirably.

It was still a very nice car.

While Laura looked around, Kelly rolled over in her seat and went to work under the dashboard. Within minutes she had pried off the lower panel, selected and pulled out two wires, and stripped them of their plastic covering.

"Cross your fingers." she muttered to Laura.

Kelly would have no way of knowing if she obeyed or not, but Laura did as she was told and obediently cross her fingers on both hands. Anything she could do to help.

Kelly whispered a quick prayer and carefully pressed the two wires together. The engine immediately roared to life, the most beautiful sound the girls had ever heard and they let out a collective cheer as it did. Without wasting another second, Kelly scooped up the car phone and murmured another prayer before bringing it to her ear. The dial tone was faint and crackled with static, but the phone worked. They could call for help. Kelly smiled and slumped into her seat in relief.

Five minutes later, Kelly finished her irritating phone call with emergency services. The static had forced both parties to repeat themselves several times, but as far as Kelly could tell, their situation had been reported and help was coming. She hung up the phone with a loud sigh and turned to Laura, who had been sitting in the passenger's seat, growing just as irritated as Kelly after hearing her repeat the same details over and over again.

"Someone's coming?" Laura asked hopefully.

Kelly smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, they're sending a search party right now."

Though the girls hardly knew each other, the good news was such a relief, that they shared a quick hug.

"Look, here they come." Laura whispered, pointing over Kelly's shoulder. Kelly turned and looked through the window. Evening had already shifted to twilight, but the outlines of her friends were clearly visible against the trees. Kris and Sabrina were walking up to the edge of the steep cliff with Jill hanging limply between them. They would need all the help they could get and she could already feel her muscles start to ache at the prospect of climbing up and then down the rocky incline again.

Fat raindrops were already pelting sporadically, dotting their clothing as Kelly and Laura ran back up to help Jill get down to the car. The girls climbed with urgency. The rain would get steadily worse as the storm approached and mud and slippery surfaces would make their descent much more dangerous than they cared for it to be.

By this time, Jill was hardly able to stand, and it took the combined effort of all four girls to get her down. Their progress was slow and tedious, and by the time they gently lowered her to the grass at the bottom, all five were completely exhausted.

The rain had picked up during the forty five minutes it took them to climb down the hill and was now pelting them mercilessly, the cold, hard drops stinging their faces and arms. Another clap of thunder seemed to shake the ground they were standing on. The storm was almost on top of them and the car was an extremely welcome relief.

With Jill feebly kicking her good leg as much as she could to help, the girls half dragged half carried her to the car and settled her in Kelly's lap in the backseat. The rain was coming down in sheets now and the remaining girls grabbed the two beach blankets, first aid kit, and some towels from the trunk and quickly climbed inside. Once inside, they huddled under the blankets, shivering from the cold and catching their breath. With the heater on and the headlights flooding the little valley with light, the five girls had nothing else to do but wait.

"How long do you think it'll take." Kris asked quietly, looking at her sister in concern.

Jill had been in a dazed and disoriented state the entire way to the car and had instantly passed out in Kelly's lap. Sabrina had opened up the first aid kit and was leaning over from the lowered driver's seat and tending to the bloody cuts and scrapes on her face as she slept.

"I don't know, Kris." Sabrina answered quietly, dabbing at Jill's forehead. "The rain might slow them down, but it won't be much longer."

"I hope not." Kelly muttered. Jill's face and entire body felt unusually warm against her and she grudgingly realized that her friend's wound was probably getting infected and giving her a fever. She needed medical attention as soon as they could get it. Kelly clasped her hands together around Jill's upper body and silently willed her sleeping friend to hold on just a little longer.

"Will she be ok?" Kris whispered in a thin, frightened voice.

"She'll be fine, kiddo." Kelly reassured her. "She's just tired. She'll feel better after she sleeps."

Kris looked at her battered sister doubtfully, but nodded her head anyway.

"Why don't you try to get some rest too, Kris?" Kelly said gently. "We're going to be here for awhile."

Kris sighed and, with nothing else to do curled up as comfortably as she could against her sister without hurting her. Hopefully, between her and Kelly's body heat, they would keep Jill warm as she slept. Laura followed her lead, curling up in the passenger seat and Sabrina, having done the best she could with Jill, tossed the bloodstained gauze out of the window and leaned back in her seat as well. The five girls sat silently for a several minutes as the rain pounded the roof of the car increasingly harder. It was dark outside now, save for their headlights, and the girls shuddered a little at what it would have been like to still be outside in their pathetic shelter. Compared to everything they had been through, the deserted car seemed like a safe little sanctuary.

"You alright, Laura?" Sabrina asked, breaking the silent trance they had all been in.

Laura jerked in surprise at her sudden question. "I-I guess so."

"It'll be alright now." Kris spoke up from the back. "Help will be here soon. It's over now."

Laura bit her lip and turned to look out her window. The raindrops were drumming steadily against it and water ran freely down the glass, making the outside just as hard to see as she knew her future now was. Gary was still out there somewhere and he wouldn't stop until he'd found her. As much as she liked Kris, she was wrong.

This was far from over.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sabrina awoke with a sharp gasp of fright. Slightly disoriented, she sat up and looked frantically until she remembered where she was.

Rain was still steadily beating against the roof of the car, a sound that had been soothing as she drifted off to sleep but now was abrasive and irritating. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. The damaged car battery had apparently died while they slept, leaving it very dark. But at least they were safe from the storm, warm and dry, instead of outside. Unlike Gary and his men. Their enemies were injured and exposed to the elements. They had probably holed themselves up somewhere for the night.

Sabrina sat up to check on her friends. In the passenger seat, Laura was wrapped in a blanket, sound asleep against her window. She looked alright. Sabrina turned in her seat, ignoring stiff and achy muscles as she did, to see the rest of her friends in the back.

Kelly, Jill, and Kris were huddled together under the big beach blanket fast asleep as well. Even in sleep, Jill looked completely wiped out. Sabrina's features tightened with worry as she watched her sleep. Jill was still resting against Kelly, wrapped in a protective embrace, with her sister's head laying on her hip. Though she had a blanket and the body heat of two people to keep her warm, she still shivered. Sabrina frowned. Jill was getting sick.

She stretched out and lightly pressed the palm of her hand to Jill's forehead. Her skin was hot and clammy, moist with a sheen of cold sweat and her hair clung in damp strands around her neck and forehead. Sabrina sighed and withdrew her hand. This was not good.

She turned back in her seat and squinted at the watch on her wrist.

9:36

They had been sleeping a little over two and a half hours and been waiting for rescue around three. Sabrina rubbed her tired eyes and shifted in her seat to get comfortable. How much longer would they have to wait, she wondered to herself. She yawned. Her body was begging her for both food and more sleep, and with nothing else to do but wait, she was more than happy to oblige it the only way she could.

Just as her eyes were about to close, a sudden flash of light caught her attention. She tensed and stared hard out of her window through the running film of water into the dark forest.

Another brief flash of light swept up and down and then disappeared.

A flashlight?

A wave of anxious uncertainty washed over her. Had they underestimated Gary? Or was that the help they were waiting for. Whoever it was, the headlights were no longer on to guide them. And that could be a good or bad thing, depending on whoever owned that flashlight. She would have to scout them out, she decided.

But not alone.

Sabrina turned back in her seat, reached out an arm, and gently shook Kelly's shoulder. Laura or Kris would have a much easier time getting out of the car, but if there was trouble on the other end of that flashlight beam, she couldn't put them in harm's way.

Kelly's eyes snapped open instantly and darted around in the same disoriented confusion that Sabrina had experienced minutes earlier.

"Kell. Wake up." she whispered.

Kelly's bleary eyes drifted over too her face and blinked a few times to focus.

"I saw a flashlight out there. Come with me?"

Still half asleep, Kelly nodded her head and moved to sit up. Her brows furrowed in momentary confusion when she couldn't, but quickly realized the problem.

Jill.

"A little help?" Kelly whispered back, glancing at her friend.

Sabrina quietly got out of the car and opened Kelly's door. As carefully as they could, the two lifted Jill enough so that Kelly could slip out from under her and gently lowered her to the car seat.

Jill was a heavy sleeper already and combined with her exhaustion, Sabrina and Kelly hadn't even considered the possibility of waking her. But for some reason, just as they lowered her head to the seat, her eyes snapped open and she jerked away from them in alarm.

"Shh. It's ok, Jill." Kelly whispered, patting her shoulder.

Jill twisted around, confused and trying to find the source of her voice. "What?" she whimpered.

"Go back to sleep." Sabrina whispered quickly. "We'll be right back, ok?"

Jill looked distressed. "No!" she breathed, shaking her head frantically. "No, don't go!" She reached out and latched onto Sabrina's arm.

"Jill, calm down. It's ok." Sabrina soothed, gently prying her friend's hand away. "We'll be right back."

"Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me alone!"

Kelly sighed and gently but firmly pushed Jill back into her seat amid her desperate pleas. "Relax, ok? Kris is here with you. So is Laura." she whispered. "I'm gonna close the door now so you don't get wet."

"No, Kelly! Please!" she wailed pitifully.

"We'll be right back, I promise."

She pulled her sleeve out of Jill's grip and before her scared friend could grab at her again, quietly pushed the door closed. Jill's fingers scrabbled at the door for a few seconds and then stopped. Once her sick friend was safely locked in, Kelly looked up at Sabrina and shook her head.

"She's not doing too good." she said, needlessly pointing out the obvious.

Sabrina frowned. "No. No she's not. Hopefully, help is close by."

Kelly nodded and pushed herself to her feet. She immediately stumbled and caught herself on the trunk of the car.

"Whoa! Hey, you ok?" Sabrina cried, rushing forward to steady her.

Kelly laughed and shook out her right leg. "Fine. I had two Munroes sleeping on me. The entire right side of my body is asleep."

Sabrina smiled and pulled her forward. "Well, wake it up. I don't want to be in the rain any longer than I have to."

The two girls made their through the valley in the direction Sabrina had seen the two flashes of light hoping to find more. To their frustration, the only light they saw came from the frequent lightening that illuminated their surroundings a second at a time. Just as they were about to give up hope for fear of getting lost, two flashlight beams popped up from a dip in the terrain about twenty yards in front of them.

Sabrina and Kelly shared an excited look and then cautiously headed towards it. As they approached, more flashlight beams revealed themselves, sweeping around the trees in turn and both male and female shouts floated out to their ears over the roar of the downpour as they got even closer. Had they just found their rescuers?

Bursting with hope yet still wary from days on the run, the two huddled behind a tree, clutching each other's sleeves in anticipation and watching carefully for sure signs of rescue. It came quickly. Two men with matching slick black rain jackets sloshed past them talking urgently to each other. A crackle of static interrupted them and one of the men raised a CB radio to his ear and listened intently.

"Team five. Nothing yet." he shouted into the radio, before sticking back into the protective cover of his raincoat.

Kelly and Sabrina grinned happily at each other and without another word, scrambled out from their hiding place and bounded over to the two men.

"Hey!" Sabrina called, waving her arms. "Over here!"

The two men whirled around in surprise and whipped their flashlight beams into the girl's faces, temporarily blinding them. An instant later, they lowered their lights and hurried towards them.

"Looking for us?" Sabrina asked, still shielding her eyes.

"Yes, ma'am." one of the men answered with a warm smile. "Are you ladies alright?"

"We're ok. Our friends are back that way in the car." Kelly replied, pointing back the way they had come. "One of them needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible."

The policeman stared at her for a moment and then quickly stepped away to radio everything he had just learned. The remaining man smiled reassuringly and removed his large raincoat to wrap around both girl's shoulders.

Kelly caught Sabrina's eye and grinned. The purpose of a raincoat had long since been defeated, but if he wanted to help who was she to stop him?

The girls huddled together, weak with relief, and let the officer usher them to safety.

* * *

Hours later, Jill sat miserably between Kelly and her sister, waiting for Sabrina and Laura to finish talking to police in the next room. She felt nauseous and exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. With a sigh, she dropped her head on Kelly's shoulder and closed her eyes.

It was past two in the morning already and Jill remembered little more from the night other than awakening in a hospital room an hour ago. Her knee had been cared for and bandaged loosely. Kris had told her twice how many stitches it had taken, but again she had forgotten. More than a few, she guessed. Upon awakening, she had been poked and prodded for an additional twenty minutes while nurses examined her. Lights were shined in her eyes, questions that she wasn't sure she had answered correctly were asked, and shots were given.

Jill winced at the sting in her right arm. She hated shots. But she supposed they weren't all bad. Her knee was oddly numb and the pain free sensations were intoxicating. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to not hurt constantly. A few hours of sleep had also cleared her head a bit, but she was nowhere near feeling rested. Her body ached and her head throbbed with lack of sleep. Jill sighed unhappily.

"We can go soon, Jill." Kris soothed, taking notice of her discomfort. Jill smiled faintly at her sister. Kris was being so attentive and sweet to her, stepping easily into the role of caretaker while she was hurt. It made her proud.

"I'm ok. How're you two feeling?" Jill asked quietly. Both of her friends looked a great deal better now that they had been cleaned up, taken care of and given a small meal. The heavy air of exhaustion hung over them all, however, evidenced by their listless stares and bloodshot eyes.

She heard Kelly snicker softly. "We're fine, Jill. You're the guest of honor here." she said gesturing toward the open hospital hallway.

Jill smiled. "Thanks. A real night to remember."

The three girls chuckled softly to themselves and then lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jill drifted off again after a few minutes and Kelly and Kris sat quietly in a daze as they watched the occasional nurse bustle by with a cart of supplies or a patient's chart.

Kelly had just dozed off, when Sabrina came down the hallway looking like she was ready to drop. Kris picked up her head at the approaching footsteps and smiled with relief at the sight of her friend.

"Hey, Bri." she greeted her. "Everything alright?"

Sabrina sank wearily into the bench next to her and sighed. "I think so. Laura's still in there, but she should be done soon." she explained, rubbing an eye. Her gaze drifted to her two sleeping friends. "I told her we'd wait in the lobby. Might as well wake up Heckle and Jeckle and head that way now."

Kris laughed and nudged her two friends. Kelly, the lighter sleeper of the two by far, awoke with a start and eyed Kris with confusion for a few moments, before realizing what had happened.

"I fell asleep?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Only for a few minutes." Kris answered, still trying to shake her sister awake. Kelly turned and noticed Sabrina mid-yawn.

"When did you get here?" she blurted out, her words nearly indecipherable through her open mouth.

Sabrina laughed and stood up. "Just a second ago. Laura's meeting us in the lobby in a few minutes. I got a hold of Bosely awhile ago and he should be here soon. We're getting a ride to the police station and Boz will-" She turned and, inspired by Kelly, gave a big yawn. "-Boz will pick us up there."

"Good." Kris added, tugging on Jill's ear. She paused to become the third victim of the contagious yawn. "I can't wait to get home and get a hot shower."

"I can't wait for you to get a shower, either." Jill muttered grumpily, suddenly awake. Kris released her ear and gave her a playful slap on the shoulder. "Who asked you?" she giggled.

The girls laughed softly and rose to their feet, much to the discomfort of their sore and tired bodies.

"Come on, Tumblelina." Sabrina said, taking Jill's arm to help her up. To her surprise, Jill cried out in pain and jerked it away.

"Jill? What?" Sabrina choked in alarm. She knelt down, took Jill's wrist and pushed up her sleeve, revealing the inflamed puncture marks from the fox bite. All the girls winced at the painful looking wound.

"You didn't have this taken care of?" she asked in disbelief.

Jill made a face. "I was asleep when they patched me up. I forgot about it."

"You forgot about it?" Kelly echoed. "How do you forget about it?"

Jill glared at her. "Kelly, I have so many bumps and bruises its hard to keep track of them all." She pulled her sleeve down. "And anyway, it's fine. I just want to go home."

"You need to get that looked at Jill." Kris pointed out. "A wild animal bit you, you can't just ignore it."

Jill heaved a frustrated sigh. They were so close. Just minutes from getting the hell out of here and putting an end to their nightmarish weekend. And she was so very tired.

"It's really not that bad." Jill mumbled, pulling her arm away from Sabrina. She leaned back against Kelly's shoulder and closed her eyes again, not caring about anything else but sleep. Had she ever been this exhausted before?

Sabrina frowned. "It's not that good either." she argued. "And when a wild animal bites you, you need to get a rabies shot. Especially foxes. The red fox is one of the top carriers of rabies."

"She's right, Jill." Kris added.

Jill sighed in irritation. "Rabies?"

"Yes, Jill." Sabrina explained patiently, as if she was talking to a child. "People can get rabies too."

Jill opened her eyes and furrowed her brow in confusion. "Wait, rabies? What's that again?"

"Like Old Yeller." Kelly offered helpfully. Jill's eyes popped open and she straightened immediately with a look of horror on her face.

"Kelly!" she cried shrilly. "I can get that?"

Kelly bit back a fit of laughter. "Only if you let that bite go untreated." she answered, taking Jill's arm. "Come on, it won't take long. You can go to sleep right after."

Sabrina suddenly looked thoughtful. "Well-" she started. "If she doesn't want to she doesn't want to, Kell. We can't make her do anything. I guess we'll just put her in the corn crib and keep her away from people."

Kelly nodded her head. "That might work, Bri. How long do you think she'll last in there?"

"Let's see-" Sabrina pondered, making a show of carefully counting her fingers. "About a week before she starts going mad."

"And then- well.."

"Exactly." Sabrina said gravely. "We'll have to put her down."

"That's not funny!" Jill snapped, swatting Sabrina's arm.

"Can we flip a coin to see who'll shoot her?" Kelly piped up cheerfully.

Sabrina frowned and shook her head. "No, she was my friend first. I'll shoot her."

"Wait a minute." Kris argued, stepping in front of them. "She's my sister. If anyone shoots her it should be me."

"Ok! I get it!" Jill cried in irritation. "I'll get the damn shot! But then after I get to go to sle- Why are you sulking, Kelly? Shooting me is not funny!"

To their credit, Sabrina, Kris and Kelly held their straight faces for nearly an entire three seconds before bursting into laughter. At Jill's cross looking face, Sabrina ruffled her hair affectionately.

"It'll be ok, Jill. Ten more minutes and then you can sleep as much as you want, ok?"

Jill sighed and let Kelly pull her to her feet. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. The room around her spun and blurred, giving her the illusion that she was floating. This had better not take long. She had never wanted to sleep so badly in her life.

Ten minutes later found Jill sitting on an examination table with Kelly, Sabrina, and Kris standing supportively by. Her wound had been cleaned and bandaged and all that was left was the shot. The four watched curiously as the nurse prepped a disturbingly long needle for Jill's vaccination. Jill's face paled at the sight of it. "Is that gonna hurt?" she whispered nervously.

"Yeah, it's horrible." Kelly whispered back gravely. At Jill's mortified expression, her serious face broke into a laughing smile. "I'm kidding, Jill. I'm sure it'll be fine. Just like any other shot."

Jill glared at her.

Kris had been staring in open mouthed horror at the oversized needle. "I don't see how it couldn't hurt. That's the biggest needle I've ever seen!" she blurted out.

Sabrina, Kelly, Jill and even the nurse slowly turned their heads to stare at her. Kris blushed and, suddenly deciding that the sink in the corner was very interesting, turned and wandered towards it.

The nurse bustled around the room for a few more seconds, gathering various supplies, and then returned to Jill's side. "Ok, Ms. Munroe." she warned gently. "It's just fair to warn you that this isn't just like any other shot."

Sabrina, Kelly, and Kris bit the inside of their cheeks to keep from giggling at the pitiful expression on Jill's face.

The nurse methodically dipped a swab of cotton in iodine and sanitized a section of Jill's forearm about an inch from the wound. Jill winced as the needle punctured her skin. The shot burned terribly, but now it was over.

"Thanks." Jill muttered. She turned to her friends. "There. All finished."

The nurse laughed and patted her arm. "Not quite yet, dear. One more."

Jill sighed and extended her arm so unhappily that her sister and two friends snickered behind their hands. She shot them a dirty look and Kris and Sabrina had the decency to sober. Kelly's grin only widened.

The nurse looked confused at Jill's offered arm and then chuckled. "Oh no, honey. Lift up your shirt please. I have to give this one in your abdomen."

Jill smiled her confusion. "What?" she asked sweetly. Surely, she had misheard.

"This shot doesn't go in your arm, honey. I have to give it to your in your stomach."

Kelly made a strangled gurgle in her throat, then calmly turned and walked out of the room, her face bright red with the effort of suppressing her laughter.

The nurse watched her go. "Oh, is the poor dear squeamish?" she asked warmly, pity in her voice.

Sabrina smiled. "Yeah. Something like that."

She leaned forward and with Kris's help, laid Jill down on the table and pressed down on her shoulders to steady her trembling. The nurse repeated the same routine she had with the first shot and then eased the needle into Jill's skin. Jill yelped as the fiery liquid coursed into her system and, like a good friend, Sabrina gently stroked her hair to ease her suffering.

Like less of a good friend, Kelly poked her head into the doorway, having just managed to compose herself without rupturing any major organs. Kris and Sabrina smiled tolerantly at her and gestured towards Jill.

"She's done now." Kris announced, giving her sister a warm pat on the shoulder.

Jill groaned. "Am I really?" she asked the nurse.

The old woman chuckled merrily. "Yes, dear. You're all finished."

Jill let out a breath, straightened her shirt, and stood to go. Kris steadied her and still the ever supportive friend, Sabrina handed over her crutches.

"We'll see you in three days." the nurse bid them warmly.

Jill paled. "What?"

"You have to come back in three days for the next shot."

The door quickly closed again. Kelly was nowhere in sight. She would win no sympathy awards tonight.

"I'm sorry. I thought you knew." the nurse said, obviously trying hard to keep the bubbling laughter from her voice. "It's a series of shots over the next week or so."

She bent down, scrawled a few things on a card and handed it to a very defeated looking Jill.

"Have a good night, Miss Munroe!" the nurse called happily. "See you Thursday!"

Jill sighed and tucked the card into Sabrina's pocket. She could only hope that somewhere, far away from them, Mr. Fox and his entire family were getting eaten by a bear.

* * *

Bosely hurriedly pushed through the heavy glass doors of the police station and took a quick look around. It was very late and only a few blue uniformed officers milled about the lobby, talking without interest to each other or reading the newspaper. He noticed an officer looking at him, and though the young man quickly looked away to avoid interaction, headed right toward him.

"Excuse me, officer? I'm looking for the girls that were involved in th-"

Without looking up, the officer cut him off by abruptly pointing his finger in the direction of a partially open office door across the room. Bosely followed the man's finger to the office and immediately noticed Sabrina's tall, thin silhouette in the opaque glass window.

"Thank you." he said absently, patting the rude officer on the shoulder. He took long, quick strides to the door and was relieved to hear hushed female voices as he closed the distance. They were all in there. Hearing approaching footsteps, Kelly wearily lifted her head and turned an exhausted looking face in his direction. A big, happy smile instantly brightened her pretty features and Bosely felt a warm surge of affection for all of his girls.

"Boz is here!" Kelly announced cheerfully, rising to her feet. At her announcement, Sabrina and Kris stopped talking and turned in his direction as well, their smiles mirroring Kelly's.

"Hey, Boz!" they called out happily.

Bosely grinned back. Boy, was he happy to see them.

"Hello, ladies." he called as he poked his head in the door. The girls immediately scooted back to give him room to come inside and then bombarded him with hugs. Bosely laughed and patted them affectionately. Sudden movement caught his eye during the happy reunion and he was a bit startled to realize that there was another girl in the room. He caught himself and gave her a warm smile.

"Hi, John Bosely." he said, over Kris's head. He extended his hand and she smiled shyly and shook it before pressing herself back to the wall. The girls pulled away and crowded toward the new girl.

"Boz, this is Laura Jacobi." Kris said brightly, pushing her forward.

Bosely smiled at her again and nodded his head towards the girls, who had settled back onto the bench with Jill. "I see these four have dragged you into a fine mess."

Laura blushed and looked at the floor. "Actually, Mr. Bosely, I'm afraid it's the opposite." she said apologetically. "I dragged them into my mess."

Bosley raised his eyebrows. "Oh?" he stammered awkwardly. "Well, they're more than accustomed to trouble, miss. Don't feel bad." He gave her another friendly smile, hoping it would put her at ease.

"We are four trouble magnets." Kelly piped up sardonically. Sabrina, Jill, and Kris nodded in agreement.

Bosely shook his head and stared at the five young women in front of him. "That's truer than I'd like to believe." he muttered. It certainly appeared that way. The girls looked ready to fall over from exhaustion. He had wondered briefly why Jill was being so uncharacteristically quiet and staying in her seat. A closer look revealed cuts and bruises all over her and a bandaged knee and arm. A pair of crutches leaned against the corner and Bosely realized that they were for her. The rest of the girls were covered with similar injuries, their clothing torn and caked with dried mud and grass stains. Whatever had happened to them had definitely taken its toll. There would be a long story on the way home.

"Jill?" Bosely asked in concern. Jill smiled weakly at him and waved before closing her eyes again.

"Don't worry, Boz. Her pills are kicking in. She'll be alright." Sabrina explained quickly.

Bosely nodded, still staring at Jill. "Are you girls ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"Born ready." Kris muttered. "I can't wait to get home and sleep."

Bosley laughed. "You all look like you need sleep." he said, helping Jill to her feet. He looked at the five girls in turn and flashed a mischievous grin. "And a shower, I might add."

Kelly grinned, and too tired to think of a comeback, lightly punched his arm. "Gee, thanks, Boz. I'll remember that." she muttered sardonically. She gave him a tired smile and took Laura's arm to lead her out. Kris and Sabrina followed, helping Jill limp along on her crutches between them. Bosely shut the door behind the girls and watched. They all looked so tired, drifting into each other as they walked and staggering along as if in a daze.

Bosely shook his head and followed them.

"Are you Mr. Bosely?" a voice called out to him. Bosely stopped and turned to see a middle aged officer holding a clipboard.

"Yes, sir."

"Sign here, sir." the officer explained. "We'll return Ms. Munroe's car after forensics finishes searching for evidence."

Bosley nodded his head and started to read through the lengthy form. Three sentences in, he gave up. The tiny print on light yellow paper was giving him a headache. "I'll take your word for it." he muttered, quickly scrawling his signature on the bottom of the form. The officer thanked him and walked back to where he came from.

Bosley sighed. The girls hadn't noticed he stopped and were already outside. He strode quickly through the station and into the parking lot, where all five girls were crowded around his locked car, looking up at him expectantly like five school children waiting for their bus.

"Sorry. Got delayed." he said with a grin. He hurriedly opened the car doors to let them in.

"Why don't you jump shot gun, Laura." Sabrina offered, catching her arm. "You'll be more comfortable."

Laura thanked her shyly and climbed into the front seat, letting the remaining girls squeeze themselves into a backseat meant for three. Bosely laughed at the sight. Luckily, they were thin. He closed their doors securely before stepping around to the trunk. The girls would probably sleep the entire way and would appreciate some blankets. He tossed in Jill's crutches, pulled the three blankets out of trunk and then settled himself behind the wheel of the car.

"Here you go, ladies. Try and stay warm." he said brightly, tossing two blankets into the backseat. The four girls in the back were delighted. "And for you, my dear." He bowed gallantly and handed Laura a blanket of her own. The girl smiled and gratefully wrapped herself up in it. "Thank you." she whispered.

"My pleasure, honey. Try to get some rest." he said, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. He angled his rearview mirror to check on the backseat. "You ok back there?"

The girls looked up at him as they huddled together, two to a blanket, and grinned at the reflection of his eyes.

"Nice and cozy, Boz!" Kris answered, making herself comfortable under her and Jill's blanket. Sabrina and Kelly settled down underneath their own blanket and gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks Boz." Sabrina yawned. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.

"Let's get out of here, huh?"

Bosely laughed. "Your wish is my command." he said reverently as he keyed the engine and eased the car into drive.

He smiled at the girls and then steered his car out of the police station parking lot and onto the street. The ride to the highway was spent in mostly exhausted silence, with quiet giggles and whispers from Kris, Kelly, and Sabrina the only sound in the car. Jill was silent, having long since flopped over onto her sister and fallen asleep. Bosely watched Laura carefully, not yet knowing how to approach her for conversation.

The young woman was quiet, eyes closed, but not sleeping. She opened her eyes and stared out the window from time to time or responded to the girls' whispered bickering and teasing in the backseat with a faint smile. She never joined in, and the girls, believing her to be asleep, didn't press her. After they had been on the highway for nearly an hour, the backseat conversations, which had been growing increasingly sparse since leaving town, had quieted. A glance in the rearview mirror revealed all eight of their eyes shut in much needed sleep. Good, Bosely thought. Bored, he decided to try to strike up friendly conversation with Laura to pass the time.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, as upbeat as he could manage. Laura looked startled for a moment by his sudden voice, but recovered and smiled weakly at him.

"Oh, I'm alright." Laura answered. "A little sore and tired, but I'm alright."

Bosely gave her a sympathetic look and nodded his head. "Yes, I imagine so. Quite an ordeal you went through."he said. "You sure you're ok?"

Laura let out a soft laugh and nodded her head. "Well, considering the alternative, I can't really complain."

It was Bosely's turn to laugh. "No, I suppose not. The five of you are very lucky to be here right now."

Laura shrugged and awkwardly toyed with a strand of her auburn hair. "I'm the lucky one. Not them." she said apologetically. "I stumbled onto them and they saved me by nearly getting themselves killed. I'm sure they don't consider themselves very lucky."

"Their job is to help people, honey, that's what they do." Bosely contested. He cleared his throat and gave her his best wise fatherly look. "The important thing is that all of you are safe now."

Laura looked down and nodded. "Yes. I owe them."

Bosely patted her knee reassuringly. "Trust me. They're glad they could help." he said. "They're good girls."

"Very." Laura laughed. She was quiet for a moment and then turned her body towards Bosely, a serious look on her face. "And they're also detectives. Mr. Bosely, if I can, I'd like to hire them to help catch Gary. He won't stop until he finds me and I won't be safe until he's caught. I can pay you, sir, I have a job, I have money." she said, her speech rapidly increasing in speed as she talked. She took Bosely's arm in both hands and squeezed gently. "Please, sir. I don't want to live in fear anymore." she finished.

Bosely took his eyes off of the road and gazed in surprise at the desperate young woman holding his arm. He stammered a moment and quickly averted his eyes back to the road.

"Well, honey." he started slowly. "I don't choose the cases that we take on, but I will talk to Charlie. I know he would love to help. And in the meantime, you can stay with one of the girls for safety."

His answer was non committal, but Laura beamed nonetheless, her hazel eyes brimming with pent up tears. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Bosely. Thank you so much!" she gushed. She gave his arm another squeeze and then realizing how invasive she was being, awkwardly pulled away and folded her hands in her lap.

Finally, she sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with her dirty sleeve. "I'm sorry." she said, with a nervous laugh. "It's been a long few days."

Bosely waved his hand dismissively. "Perfectly understandable." he answered gently. The two lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment before Bosley gestured toward the clock. It was past four thirty in the morning. "It's late. Why don't you try to rest? Don't worry, you're in good hands now. The girls are complete professionals, they'll take good care of you."

As he talked, he and Laura turned to the backseat, where the girls were heaped on top of each other like a litter of sleeping puppies. Sabrina was slumped against Kelly's shoulder and suddenly twitched and swiped at her nose in her sleep, tickled by her pillow's long brown hair that had fallen onto her face. Still sound asleep, she mumbled something unintelligible, shifted herself slightly and then sighed in contentment, a faint smile crossing her sleeping face.

Though endearing, the sleeping detectives were not quite the vision of professionalism at the moment.

Bosely and Laura shared a glance and stifled a laugh at their pitiful state. Bosely shook his head. "Well, when they're conscious, I assure you that they are the epitome of professionalism." he said, in a mock haughty tone.

Laura giggled and settled herself against the car door to try to sleep. "I trust them." she said. "Thanks again, Mr. Bosely."

* * *

As the night sky began to turn gray with the approach of dawn, Bosely pulled up in front of Jill's house, where the girls had decided they would all sleep. Kris had tried several times to wake Jill, but decided it would require the combined efforts of everyone in the car. Bosely was about to get out to help them when Sabrina stopped him with a light touch on the shoulder.

"We'll get her, Boz. Go home and get some rest." she said with a weary smile. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thanks again."

Bosely smiled and watched her join Kelly, Kris, and Laura by Jill's door.

"Alright then. You get some rest too." he called from his open window. "And I'll see you at the office at nine!"

Kelly and Sabrina paused and turned to stare blankly at him in disbelief.

Bosely looked confused for a moment and then nodded in understand. "Oh, you're tired. I get it. How about ten?"

The blank stare continued.

Finally, unable to keep a straight face, Bosely let out a hearty chuckle and pointed a finger at them. "Kidding! Shoulda seen your faces!" he laughed. "I'll call later and check up on you girls."

The two continued staring at him in accusing silence until Sabrina broke the trance. "Bosely. That wasn't funny." she said seriously, though Kris and Laura were giggling. Kelly solemnly nodded her agreement.

Eager to get inside to a warm and comfortable bed, the girls began nudging and shaking Jill to wake her up. The various pain medications she had been given were in full effect, making the task much more difficult than usual. Finally, after several moments of being jostled and prodded, Jill slowly became aware of voices, bright lights, and uncomfortably loud noises. What was going on?

"Jill? Come on, we're going inside, ok?"

Someone was shaking her shoulder. Was that Sabrina's voice?, Jill wondered. Kelly? Kris? Or Bosely?

Was Bosely still here?

"Come on, honey." another voice called. "God, she's really out of it. Bri, get her seat belt."

"Oh this isn't so bad. You should have seen her the night she turned twenty one."

"Not surprising. I love her, but the girl can't hold her liquor for anything."

Jill frowned inwardly, wondering how offended she should be. Hands fumbled around her and there was a cool breeze. Were they home? Jill opened her eyes to check and closed them immediately. The overhead light was too bright. So bright it made her head spin. Three pairs of hands grabbed her securely by the arms and waist and pulled her from the car. The movement nearly made her pass out from dizziness. Her head lolled back, but stopped against someone's shoulder. Just as well, she couldn't hold it up anymore. More voices. Hushed and indecipherable. The grating sound of crunching gravel made her want to put her hands over her ears. If only she could move them. Someone's warm hand touched her face.

"Jill? Sweetheart? Can you walk?"

Could she walk?, Jill wondered. Of course she could walk. She'd been walking since she was a baby. She shuffled her legs forward. She could walk.

"Well that answers that question." another voice floated out to her. That had to be ever sarcastic Kelly, Jill realized vaguely. She would have to remember to get her back for that comment.

"Here, Kris, get her arm like this." Kelly continued. Only this time she sounded more like Sabrina. More movement. They were carrying her now.

"Maybe it's a good thing she didn't eat." another strained voice murmured. "She's not as heavy."

Jill furrowed her brow. Hey, that was mean, she thought. She opened her eyes again. Were they inside? Her vision was blurred, lights spread surreally and colors swirled in front of her. Blinking didn't help, her eyes refused to focus. She fluttered for a moment and then gave up and shut them again.

"Leave it to Jill to put her own self in the hospital."

Who said that?, she wondered. Was that Bosely again? Why was he being so mean? Keys clinked impossibly loudly as one of her friends set them on the table.

"Hey, she didn't do it all to herself, she had help. It's my understanding there was a fox involved."

More giggling. Jill tried to glare at the echoing voice but found it too difficult with her eyes closed.

"Ok, Jill. Here we go." another voice soothed.

She felt her world shift and she began to fall. Her hands shot out in panic, latching only the first thing she could. It worked. The falling stopped.

"Ow!" someone shrieked. "Kelly!"

"We got you, Jill. Let go of your sister's hair, ok?"

Someone gently pried her hands away from their holds. There was giggling. Jill opened her eyes again. The blurred face in front of her was either Kelly or Sabrina, she couldn't be sure. It was someone with dark hair though.

Maybe it was Bosely.

"Kris, toss me that pillow. And watch you're hair."

Jill nearly panicked again when she felt herself dip backwards, but this time someone held her wrists immobile. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut to fight off the intense wave of dizziness brought on by the movement. Her head and shoulders touched something soft and the movement stopped. A cool hand brushed the hair from her forehead.

"I can't wait to tell her about this tomorrow." someone snickered.

"Be nice to her, Kelly."

Jill almost smiled at the tone that she recognized to be Sabrina's. At least someone was sticking up for her.

"She might bite you and give you rabies." Sabrina continued.

Jill tried to open her eyes to retaliate, but her eyelids disobeyed her and stayed shut. She listened to her friends giggle and wished she could slap one of them. But she was too tired right now. Too tired to even think.

A comforting weight was laid across her, and Jill was vaguely aware of one of her friend's pulling her heavy down comforter over her exhausted body. The warmth was much welcome. Her brain started shutting down and the voices around her melded into one. Someone was still stroking her hair and it felt so nice.

"One of us should stay in here with her. Make sure she doesn't try to get up anymore."

"It is a full moon."

More giggling.

"I'll sleep here with her."

"Alright. We'll be in the next room. Don't let her get your hair."

More giggling, distant and far off like she was floating away.

"Goodnight, guys. Get some rest."

Jill sensed the sudden darkness through her closed eyelids. The mattress dipped next to her with someone's weight. Who was that? If it was Kelly or Sabrina or Kris, she needed to slap them. She tried to ask, but her mouth wouldn't form the words she needed. Fingertips pressed gently against her lips, quieting her anyway.

"Shhh, honey. I'm right here. Sleep now."

A light kiss pressed into her forehead. Sleep now? That was a really good idea. Why hadn't she thought of that? A strange, flying sensation over came her and her thoughts became more and more jumbled and random. Tomorrow she would eat a French fry sandwich, she decided happily.

She felt herself shift slightly in her spot as whoever was with her settled down. The room grew quiet and still save for the buzzing in her ears. Sleep steadily pulled her away and finally she felt safe enough to let it. Her last thoughts before she slipped away was how glad she was that someone was with her.

She was so tired of being by herself.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Jill was awake for five whole minutes before she could convince her eyelids to open. When they finally did, it took just as long for her blurry vision to come into focus. She lay still, blinking and trying to figure out where she was. It took several seconds before it clicked that she was in her own bedroom. Her head still felt heavy and muddled. Whatever drugs she had been given hadn't quite been slept off yet. But despite that, she felt much better. Much more alert.

A contented sigh to her right made her lift her head. She vaguely remembered her friends taking care of her and putting her to bed last night. One of them was still lying next to her, sleeping peacefully, a pillow draped over her head instead of under it.

With some effort, Jill reached forward and gently lifted the pillow. She smiled when she saw her little sister's face, relaxed and at peace. Kris must have been just as exhausted as she was. She lowered the pillow back onto her sister's face and then yawned and looked around the room. For the first time, she noticed the steady drum of raindrops beating against the window.

The storm must have been following them. Jill shuddered, more than grateful to be warm and safe in bed, instead of outside exposed to the elements. She snuggled back into the covers and closed her eyes. It was hard to tell what time of day it was with the storm outside, but if she had to guess, she would say that it was definitely not early in the morning.

The soft creak of her bedroom door opening made her turn her head. She was greeted with the sight of Kelly standing in her doorway, hair tousled from sleep, clothes wrinkled and twisted, and one eye still squinting almost shut against the pale sunlight from the window. She had obviously just woken up. Kelly caught sight of her and opened both eyes in surprise.

"Hey, I didn't expect you to be up." she whispered. She bent down to kneel by her friend and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "How're you feeling, Yeller?"

Jill furrowed her brow, trying to remember what Yeller meant. Her head still hurt. She gave up and, just to be sure, slapped her friend's arm tolerantly and returned Kelly's grin. "Better." she croaked, her voice rustier than she had anticipated. She cleared her throat. "Still tired."

"Me too." Kelly said with a yawn. "The rain woke me up. I just wanted to come check up on you. You hungry?"

Jill was about to shake her head when her stomach protested loudly in outrage. She was hungry. Absolutely starving. "Kelly, I'm so hungry I could eat Sabrina's cooking."

Kelly laughed and patted her friend's stomach. "Haven't you done enough damage to yourself? Stay here and I'll go make some breakfast for everyone." She stopped and raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Or dinner I guess. Since it's nearly five."

Jill laughed. "Trust me, I won't be picky."

"Good. Because I don't think I can wait until it's fully cooked." Kelly joked. She disappeared and then popped her head back in a second later. "Hey, do you need to take your medicine?" she asked.

Jill flexed her knee and grimaced at the dull ache that consumed her entire right leg. The pain was coming back. "Yeah, I think it's about that time." she agreed.

Kelly nodded and disappeared again. She returned less than a minute later with a glass of orange juice and three pills. She helped Jill sit up and then handed her the glass and the medicine. As Jill washed down the pills, her eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Kelly!" she whispered, waving her over excitedly. "I have to tell you something."

Puzzled, Kelly leaned in close to hear what was so important. Before she could react, Jill reached out and swatted the back of her head with an open palm.

Kelly jerked back. "Hey! What was that for?"

Jill gave her a self satisfied smirk and finished her juice.

"That was for calling me Yeller."

* * *

Two hours later found the five girls showered, well fed, and back into comfortable clothes to relax in front of the television. Jill yawned and snuggled into the thick warm blanket she was wrapped in. It felt good to have a full stomach.

And a blanket.

And a roof over her head.

And to not be in pain.

Over all, their adventure had little on being safe at home. She carefully stretched out her injured knee. Her pain medication was in full effect and though it made life easier, it also left her drowsy and sluggish. She leaned back and glanced at her four companions. The cuts, scrapes, and bruises on their faces stood out against their now clean skin, and their hair, too much of a burden to be fixed up, hung in limp, damp strands around their faces.

Though they had slept all day, the girls still looked tired and worn out from their grueling ordeal. Kris sat on the floor, leaning back against the arm of the couch with her eyes half closed like she was in a trance. Laura sat in a chair closer to the television, head leaned back and eyes closed in what probably was sleep or a state very close to it. She had been jumpy and anxious during their meal and Jill was relieved to see her finally relaxed. Her fidgeting and restless glances were making her nervous.

Kelly lay curled on up the couch, her head in Sabrina's lap in a rare show of neediness. Sabrina was rubbing her back soothingly and Jill couldn't help but notice that Kelly still looked exhausted. Her friend had nearly been drowned, she had been told, and she suddenly realized that it probably wasn't just the rain that had woken her from a restful sleep. Nightmares stemming from her fear of suffocation had probably kept her up as well. Jill sighed.

It was a miracle they were all alive.

To her right, Sabrina yawned and shifted in her seat, unintentionally nudging Jill's elbow. Jill nudged her back playfully. Sabrina was sitting too close to her, but she didn't care. She looked at her sleepy looking friends and sister and smiled.

It was so good to have them all back.

On a whole they were a pathetic looking bunch, Jill decided. And, without a doubt, she led the parade. She sighed and closed her eyes. The medicines were waging war with her brain and the only escape she had discovered was sleep. She nestled in her blanket and dropped her head on Sabrina's shoulder.

The evening news came on an hour later and, not wanting to get up to change the channel, the girls tuned in. By this time, Kelly and Jill had both fallen back to sleep in their spots, and Kris and Laura had grabbed blankets and squeezed themselves onto the long couch with everyone else. No one, not even Laura, seemed to mind the closeness. The girls watched quietly for several minutes.

"There's a new weatherman?" Kris asked, breaking the long comfortable silence.

Sabrina turned her head at the unexpected question and then focused on the screen she had been halfway ignoring. "Oh yeah. Bout six months ago." she answered. "You're sister and Kelly have the hots for this new guy."

Kris laughed. "Well, I can see why." she agreed. "I bet they never know what the weather is."

"No, I'm the only one who's ever dressed for it." Sabrina said with a grin towards her sleeping companions. "I think somet-"

Kris interrupted her with a startled gasp.

"Look!" she cried.

Sabrina and Laura immediately followed her gaze to the television set, where a shot of Jill's car had replaced the anchorman.

Alarmed, Sabrina quickly leaned forward, unintentionally sending Jill toppling over onto her side and spilling Kelly out of her lap and onto the floor. Kelly awoke right before she thumped to the carpet and sat up in confusion.

"Ow." she muttered sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Was I too heavy?

"Shh!" Sabrina hushed her, peering around her to see the reporter.

Kelly, still half asleep, swiveled her head toward the television and blinked. "What are you wa-"

"Shh!" Sabrina and Kris hissed.

Kelly jumped at the harsh reprimand, but stopped talking. It silenced her, but did nothing to help her confusion. She sat blocking the screen, blinking in complete bewilderment. Finally, out of desperation, Kris leaned forward, hooked an arm around Kelly's neck, and pulled her back and out of the way. The four girls watched in growing concern at the report being delivered.

"-where police say five Los Angeles women were found and taken to Sierra View Medical Center where they were treated and released early this morning." the overdramatic, gaudily dressed reporter told them.

"What?" Sabrina breathed, looking pale. "I- I told them not to say anything about us. I told them those men were looking for us! Why in the hell w-"

"You can't trust the media." Kelly said angrily, hopping back up on the couch.

Sabrina stood up and began pacing anxiously while the story continued.

"Another man, wanted in connection with last Sunday's murder of Howard Abrams was also found."

A very unflattering mug shot of the frog looking Emmitt flashed across the screen.

" Police took thirty six year old Emmitt Tierson of Fresno into custody early this morning. Tierson has revealed that two of his accomplices in Abram's murder were killed in the escape and one still remains at large. Police have just issued a statewide manhunt for the missing suspect and feel confident in an arrest by the end of the week. More to come as this story unfolds."

The girls stared in shock at the screen for several seconds. The news reporter signed off with a flashy grin and the camera switched to a recap of a baseball game. After a few stunned seconds, Kris stood up and turned it off.

"Gary and that long haired guy are dead then." she said quietly.

All eyes immediately swept to Laura, who sat on the end of the couch in shock. She bit her lip and looked away.

Sabrina resumed her pacing.

"So, if that other accomplice they just mentioned saw this, he's gonna know that Laura already made it out of the woods and has already talked to the police." she said, sorting her thoughts out loud.

"He'll be on the run, though." Kelly pointed out. "She might be ok."

Before Sabrina could offer another opinion, Laura stood up.

"He's lying." she said quickly. "He's lying to protect Gary. I don't think Gary is dead, there's no way."

Kelly, Sabrina, and Kris shared a look and then waited quietly to see who would speak up first. Kris lost the silent lottery and sighed as she took Laura's hands.

"I shot him in the thigh, Laura." she said gently. "Without medical care, it's very possible that he could have bled to death."

Laura shook her head. "But there was no fourth accomplice. I only saw the three of them. It was only ever those three!" she insisted. "I think he's saying anything to make it look like he's cooperating. Gary is still out there, I know it. And they had radios, remember? He's gonna know that we made it out and he's going to come find me."

Her voice quavered as she spoke, her tone betraying every bit of fear and dread she was feeling. Unsure of what to say, Kris turned back to her two friends for help.

Kelly's face darkened slightly. By far the most skeptical of her friends, she was always first to question sudden good luck. Before she even spoke, her demeanor indicated to both of her friends that she had both considered and then accepted Laura's theory.

"If that's true, then they know where we all live because they took our purses. So, it's only a matter of time."

The girls let out a murmur of concern as this realization sunk in. Sabrina turned and resumed her pacing.

"Ok. Say those guys aren't dead." she said calmly. "If they saw this now, they would start looking and be here within a few hours."

"And if Laura's wrong and they really did have a fourth accomplice?" Kelly asked, crossing her arms.

Sabrina stopped walking and looked around. "Good point. Wake up Jill. We can't stay at any of our places. We'll get a hotel or something." She reached out and took Laura's arm.

"Look, I don't know what's going on, but I think you'll be safer with us until we can get you under police protection. Do you have someone you need to call?"

Laura shook her head, trying to slow her thoughts and clear her mind. After a moment she managed to answer. "My parents. They don't know what happened. They live in here in L.A." she said in a weak voice. " I need to tell them before they see it on the news and have heart attacks."

Kris looked up from the couch, where she had been busy rousing her sister out of a medicated sleep, and narrowed her eyes.

"Does Gary know where they live?" she asked.

The implications of the question startled Laura. The color drained from her face and she took a step back as if Kris had slapped her.

"I-no- no, I don't think that he does. He met them once, but it was at my place." she choked, her voice breaking. "I need to call them."

Kelly nodded. "Can you wait and call at the office? The phone lines are more secure over there." At Laura's panicked look, she raised a hand and smiled gently. "Just a precaution. But, I don't want to take the chance of them getting tangled up in this when they don't have to be. Just a few more minutes, alright?"

Laura let out a slow, ragged breath and blinked, trying to rid herself of the tears that were already beginning to shine in her eyes. "Ok. Ok. I'll wait." she warbled nervously.

"It'll be alright, Laura, don't worry." Sabrina reassured her. She clapped her hands together and bit her lip as if trying to decide what to do. "I guess we need to stop and grab some clothes at our places, huh?" she asked the group. The girls nodded in agreement, save Jill, who was still blinking rapidly in an attempt to wake up.

"As quick as possible." Kelly suggested. "Kris already has a suitcase packed here. Bri, why don't you pack Jill a bag and me and Kris will get her in the car."

Sabrina nodded and hopped off toward Jill's room, leaving Kris and Kelly to coax a very groggy Jill outside and to the car. Laura followed Sabrina to Jill's room and grabbed up what she guessed to be Kris's suitcase.

"Do you have the key to your place?" Sabrina asked from inside Jill's closet. Laura dodged the stream of clothing Sabrina was haphazardly tossing onto her friend's bed. She watched for a few moments before answering, wondering if her new friend was paying any attention to what she was throwing out of the closet.

"Yeah, I have my key." she said finally.

Sabrina smiled at her and begin rooting through Jill's drawers.

"Good. That's our first stop."

* * *

Twenty five minutes later found the girls pulling up to Laura's apartment complex in Kelly's car. Laura seemed anxious, her hand already turning the handle of her backseat door before Kelly had fully parked.

"I'll be right out." she blurted, as soon as Kelly had shifted into park.

The four girls immediately protested.

"Whoa, no way." Sabrina said emphatically from the front passenger seat. "We're all coming with you. We don't know what to expect right now, so no one flies solo anymore."

Jill, who had managed to wake up with the help of an open window, grabbed a firm handful of Laura's shirtsleeve.

"Trust me. You don't want to fly solo." she said solemnly.

The contrast of Jill's serious face with her wind tousled hair brought a smile to Laura's lips. She relaxed a bit and waited until her four companions climbed out of the car and got Jill situated with her crutches before walking the short distance to her apartment door.

Laura dug her key out of her pocket and, though she was extremely nervous, took the lead. Her hand trembled slightly as she unlocked her door. There's nothing to be afraid of, she told herself. She glanced around her, finding comfort in the four faces around her that appeared to not notice her fear and stepped inside.

The five girls piled into the one bedroom apartment and looked around appreciatively. Laura's apartment was neat, clean, and very tastefully decorated. She must have been an avid reader because there was not only a shelf full of books in the corner, but books stacked on the coffee table, kitchen table, and counter. The entire room gave off a very scholarly and studious atmosphere.

Laura closed the door behind them and made her way to her bedroom, leaving the four girls to wander around her living room. Though everything seemed to be in order, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that was prickling the back of her neck. Something about her place made her nervous, but try as she might, she just couldn't place it. With a sigh of defeat, she opened her closet and reached up to pull her suitcase off of the top shelf.

The cold, unsettling feeling continued tingling down her back. There was something not quite right. Something was very wrong and by this time, she was more than certain that it wasn't just nerves. What was it? What was making her so uneasy? She took a deep breath and tossed her open suitcase on her bed. Now she could understand Sabrina's hurried packing earlier.

She just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

Clutching a random armful of clothing from her closet, Laura turned back to her waiting suitcase. Before she could dump her load in, she suddenly caught sight of something that made her heart leap into her throat and her blood run cold.

The sheets were slightly rumpled towards the head of the bed, sunken in consistent with the way they would be had someone been sitting there not too long ago. Had she not been so paranoid, she probably wouldn't have even noticed it, but there it was. Proof. Someone had been here.

Suddenly all of the other unnoticed clues that had caused her to be so uncomfortable seemed to be scream out at her. The pillows were off center on her couch. The books on the coffee table were all closed, when she now clearly remembered having left one open facedown to answer her door right before being kidnapped. She now remembered leaving her closet door open before she left. Gary. Gary had been here.

And he could come back here.

The thought fluttered her insides with sheer panic. With a frightened moan, Laura shoved as much as she could into her suitcase, slammed it closed and rushed out into the living room. Kelly looked up as she blew past her.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly.

"He's been here!" Laura whispered, her eyes darting around frantically as if expecting Gary to pop out from a closet. In her terrified state, it seemed completely plausible. "He's been in my room! I told you he wasn't dead!"

The girls shared a look and Sabrina reached forward and put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Hey, take it easy." she soothed. "How do you know he's been here?"

Laura sighed in frustration. "My bed! He was sitting on my bed! And-and I just know he was, I can feel it! The pillows, the books, the closet! " she choked, clutching Sabrina's arm. "Can we please go? He'll come back, I know he will!"

Hoping for evidence, Kris and Kelly quietly slipped into Laura's bedroom while Sabrina and Jill did their best to calm Laura down. They emerged a few moments later with a shrug of confusion. Whatever Laura had seen in her nervous state, it wasn't conclusive to someone sneaking into her apartment.

Sabrina took note of their confusion and patted Laura's arm comfortingly. "Ok, ok. We can go now. Let's go." she said softly. She wrapped an arm around Laura's trembling shoulder and silently motioned her friends out the door.

The girls were quiet as they got back into the car, uneasy by Laura's obvious fear, but not quite sure if there was anything to be overly alarmed about just yet. Laura was shaking in the backseat and glancing nervously out of the windows. She clearly believed in her heart that someone had been in her apartment. Whether or not her suspicions were just based on shot nerves was the unspoken question.

A definite conclusion would need more information.

With Kelly at the wheel, the rules of odds and evens no longer applied and she turned the yellow Mustang in the direction of her house next. Laura's apartment was fairly close to Kelly's house and even in evening traffic, it took less than fifteen minutes for the girls to arrive. Feeling a bit like a school bus driver, Kelly eased her car to a stop in front of the home she hadn't seen in days.

"Ok, kids! Everyone out!" she joked, as she shut off the engine.

The five girls quickly hopped out of the car and followed Kelly up her walkway. She was in a hurry. It was a horrible feeling to not feel safe, and whether it was Laura's nerves, days of being hunted, or just the situation, she desperately wanted to be at the hotel room to get a chance to sort out a game plan in peace. The quicker she packed the quicker they would leave. To save time, she began going through a mental map of the things she needed in her house.

Halfway to her door, Kelly suddenly froze in her tracks. Jill, concentrating more on the rhythm of her crutches than walking, swung herself right into her friend's tensed form and nearly lost her balance. Kelly didn't even notice.

"Kell. What's wrong?" Jill asked quickly.

Kelly was staring intently at her window, eyes narrowed in intense concentration.

"What?" Sabrina pressed impatiently. When Kelly didn't answer, she put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a shake.

"My curtain. Look." Kelly answered quietly.

All four heads turned warily to the window. The curtain rod was easily visible through the window, hanging halfway broken and leaving most of the window uncovered.

"Someone's been here too." Sabrina whispered, her tone laced with dread.

Tense and anxious, the girls huddled together and made their way to the front door. Kelly tested the handle and to her dismay, found it unlocked. If there was any lingering doubt that someone had broken into her home, it was now gone. The sense of violation that came with that thought made her skin crawl. A cold wave of dread washed through her as she braced herself for whatever was behind the door. When had they broken in? Where they still inside?

Kelly swallowed and opened the door. She was back to being lost in the woods, not knowing what to expect and not knowing who or what she would find lurking just around the corner. And she didn't like it one bit.

The girls let out a collective gasp of shock as the room came into view.

Kelly's living room was in shambles.

The couch was overturned, the coffee table shattered and its contents strewn around the room. The television lay on its side underneath the dining room table, a chair leg helpfully smashed through the glass to throw away any hope of it ever working again. Holes and dents were beaten into the walls, exposing the sheetrock underneath. Books were ripped and throw to all corners of the room and her bedroom door ripped off of its hinges in a rage.

Whoever had been here obviously hadn't found what they were looking for and had punished Kelly severely for it.

Kelly let out a stream of curses under her breath. What the men had been looking for had most likely been the five of them. And being found was most definitely not an option. She sighed and stepped away from the destruction.

"I think it's time to call Charlie."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Twenty minutes, the girls rushed up the steps to Townsend Investigations holding their jackets over their heads to prevent the cold downpour from soaking them through. Sabrina and Kris were slowed considerably by helping Jill, so Kelly bounded up to the door first and yanked the handle back, eager to get under a roof.

To her surprise, her shoulder bounced right into it.

"Oh come on!" Kelly fumed, futilely yanking the handle again. She whirled around to her companions who had just caught up and threw up her hands in irritation. "It's locked!"

"Locked?" Jill echoed in disbelief. With both arms on her crutches, it was impossible to shield herself from the rain. It only took another few seconds for Sabrina and Kris to usher her under the protective cover of the awning, but that's all it took for the water to matt her hair to the side of her face. The girls crowded under the little roof as best as they could with Kelly pounding her fist against the door in frustration.

"Will ya stop?" Sabrina scolded, snatching her wrist in mid air. "He's not here, we must have beat him."

Kelly pulled her arm away from Sabrina and slumped against the door in defeat.

"Calm down, Kell." Sabrina said patiently. "He'll be here any minute. Everyone just relax."

Her friends gazed blankly at her. Easier said than done, their looks told her.

The five girls were rattled by the sudden and very real threat that had been shoved in their faces by Kelly and Laura's invaded homes. Whether it was Gary himself or the mysterious fourth accomplice, whoever had broken in was very angry at not finding who he was looking for.

And judging by Kelly's living room, he was also very violent and more than likely unstable.

"I don't want to relax." Kelly muttered, tugging on the door handle. "I wanted Charlie to help us catch this guy, not call a meeting. He's probably on his way to Jill's or your place right now or even Jill's mom's . You do realize that, don't you?"

Sabrina crossed her arms and sighed. "Yes, Kelly. But I don't know how many of them there are and I don't want to run guns blazing into a trap. Jill is hurt and it's just me and you. That's not exactly an army."

"Neither is whoever is after us." Kelly countered angrily.

Laura backed away and Jill and Kris shared a frantic look, seeing the confrontational stances and increasingly heated tones of their two friends. Kelly and Sabrina very rarely fought, but when they did they could argue for hours. This was no time for argument.

Knowing her two hotheaded friends wouldn't give her a chance to speak, Jill raised a crutch and smacked it into both of their arms.

Being hurt did have its advantages.

"Stop it!" she snapped firmly. "Both of you stop!"

Sabrina and Kelly turned to her in surprise.

Before either could retaliate, Jill poked Kelly in the ribs with the end of her crutch. "Kelly, yes." she started. "Yes it would be quicker to try and catch whoever trashed your house. But Bri's right, its dangerous. We'd be dragging Laura and my sister into danger. And those guys could still get away and then where would we be?

"And your mother?" Kelly shot back.

"My mother is fine. Kris has her apartment address on her license. It's right off campus, the security is very tight." she said sharply, poking her friend again." I couldn't even get in last time I went to visit!" She poked her again as she talked and Kelly wisely backed away. Undaunted, Jill continued. "Hell, even Kris can't get in half the time and she lives there!"

Leaving Kelly backed into a corner, she abruptly turned and poked Sabrina in the chest.

"And you don't baby me." she said sternly. "Just because my knee is hurt doesn't mean I can't fire a gun."

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "Jill, you can barely w-"

Jill cut off her argument with a hard poke to the stomach, doubling her over slightly. "Don't argue with me!"

Sabrina rubbed the spot where Jill poked her and shut her mouth. Her and Kelly shared a discreet look and grinned, their argument forgotten. The peacemaker had spoken and it was best not to argue with her. Jill was a walking weapon now.

Or a hobbling one.

To Sabrina and Kelly's immense relief, Jill's tirade was interrupted by the sudden squeal of tires. The girls turned to see Bosely's navy Thunderbird turn down the street and screech to a halt on the curb. While the girls waited impatiently, Bosely jumped out of the car and splashed his way down the sidewalk and up the front steps.

"Sorry, girls." he said quickly, as he pushed past the crowd of women to get to the door.

The six rushed inside to the office where Laura made a beeline to the telephone. The remaining girls surrounded Bosely's desk.

"Tell me again what's going on?" he asked, taking a seat in his chair. "Are you all alright?"

"We are. My house isn't. Those guys came calling." Kelly answered immediately. "They've been to Laura's apartment and my house looking for us. We probably left Jill's right before they got there."

She gestured urgently towards the door, making it obvious what her desired plan of action was. "They could still be there now if we hurry."

Bosely raised a hand to calm her. "Kelly, you three aren't in any condition to stop them. I'm going to call Charlie and send the police to both of your places." he said firmly. He reached for the phone and then realized that Laura was using it and frowned.

"Her parents." Kris explained.

Bosely nodded and drummed his fingers on his desk impatiently. Neither he or the girls were in any mood to sit down at the couches and so remained standing around the desk making them eavesdroppers to Laura's conversation whether they wanted to be or not.

"No, I'm ok, Mom. Everything's fine. I'm not in trouble. " Laura insisted in a frightened voice that implied otherwise. "Really, I'm fine. Just- look- Mom, if you see Gary call the cops."

She paused to listen to her mother's voice. The girls could hear the shrill, near frantic tones from where they were standing, though they couldn't make out what was being said. Whatever it was, it caused Laura to start pacing in agitation as much as the phone cord would let her.

"-Mom. No- listen to me, Mother. Dad doesn't need to come down." she argued. Another brief pause. "I know, I wasn't at home. I was at a friend's house. I'm sorry for worrying you. Please- Mom- just call the cops if you see Gary, alright?" Laura went on over her mother's voice. "Ok? Just call the co-"

The girls and Bosely saw Laura's eyes widen in a perfect expression of shocked confusion.

"They what?" she asked weakly.

She went absolutely still and over the course of the next few seconds the girls watched her face drain of color with an increasing sense of alarm and dread. It appeared Laura wasn't the only one who had news. They leaned forward in anticipation.

After a few agonizing moments, Laura raised a hand to her forehead and let out the breath she had been holding in what sounded like a mix between a sigh and a cough.

"I don't know. I really don't, Mom." she said finally. "I- I'll straighten it out. I'll call you later. I love you."

Though the girls could hear Laura's mother protesting, she hung up the phone anyway and stood in a stunned silence with her hand still resting on the receiver.

Kelly's patience ran out first.

"What?" she asked, grabbing Laura's arm. "What happened?"

Laura turned and shook her head.

"I'm not sure." she said quietly. "My mom says that the police were just looking for me. They- they want to arrest me."

Her confusion spread to the rest of the group.

"Arrest you?" Jill echoed. "Are you sure? Why would they want to arrest you, you haven't done anything wrong."

Laura rubbed her temples in agitation. "I don't know. The police went to my parents house with an arrest warrant. She's been trying to get a hold of me for almost an hour."

Bosely exchanged another puzzled look with the girls as he picked up the receiver and dialed Charlie's number. Laura's news made absolutely no sense to him. And judging by the confused looks all around, he wasn't the only one. All five girls crowded around the phone as they waited for Charlie to answer.

Too hurried to first greet Charlie personally, Bosely clicked on the squawk box as soon as his employer picked up.

"We're all here, Charlie." he said quickly.

"Bosely. Angels. What's going on?" Charlie asked, his normally pleasant baritone betraying his concern.

"That trouble the girls got into during their vacation seems to have followed them home." Bosely worded carefully.

Kelly scoffed. "It does more than seem, Charlie." she cut in.

"Give me the details, angels."

Sabrina pushed her way by Kelly and leaned across Bosely's desk to the speaker. "Those guys that we got away from in the woods are looking for us, Charlie. They broke into Laura's apartment and trashed Kelly's house. They might be going to Jill's or Kris's or my place right now." she summarized as quickly as she could.

"They have our driver's licenses." Jill added, feeling the need to explain. "So they know where we all live."

"And the news just reported that the police arrested the kidnapper that Sabrina shot." Kelly explained. "We think he's lying to the police, Charlie. He told them that his partners were dead, so they don't know to look for them."

Charlie was silent for a moment as he absorbed his second piece of upsetting news today. Bosely had informed him of the girl's ordeal early that morning and he had been waiting for an update on their wellbeing since then.

As if hearing that his angels had been injured on their vacation wasn't enough to put a damper on the day.

He cleared his throat. "My main point of concern is that all five of you ladies are kept safe. I can talk to police and tell them about the remaining criminals. It'll might be hard to prove that the vandalism was done by them instead of another accomplice-"

"Wait, Charlie!" Jill interrupted anxiously. "We need to figure something out first. Laura says the police went looking for her at her parent's house earlier. They had an arrest warrant out for her."

"An arrest warrant?" Charlie echoed in disbelief. "For you, Laura? Do you have any idea why?"

Laura had been standing slightly away from the group, wringing her hands anxiously and looking more pale and afraid than the girls had seen before. But now the squawk box was talking to her, and she needed to pull herself together enough for a response.

"No sir." she answered meekly. "I- I just moved out of my parent's house a few months ago. I gave police their address out of habit. That's why they went there."

She swallowed hard and worked her jaw trying desperately to fight back tears. "But I have no idea why they want to arrest me."

Charlie appeared not to either.

"Angels, the three of you need to take Kris and Laura and lay low until we can get this sorted out. There's no way of telling how many accomplices these men have. I'll wait on informing police until we have some idea of why Laura is wanted."

Kelly furrowed her eyebrows, half listening to what Charlie was saying. Instead, she concentrated on a slight scuff in the smooth wood of Bosely's desk as she racked her mind for an answer. Laura was a victim. Why would she be arrested?

The answer jolted into her brain an instant later.

"The fourth accomplice!" she cried urgently, once again cutting Charlie off in mid-sentence. "Laura! Emmitt must have named you as the fourth accomplice we heard about on the news!"

Sabrina's eyes widened in realization. "That has to be it." she agreed quickly. "There's no other explanation. Laura was right, he's lying to the cops."

Bosely and the rest of the girls stared at each in shock as the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together.

"But- but I didn't do anything!" Laura wailed in panic, shaking her head violently. "I wasn't even there!"

"Is there any way that can be proven, Laura?" Charlie pressed.

Laura looked like she was going to be sick. "I-I don't know, I can't remember!" she choked. She reached out and clutched the squawk box as if she was clutching Charlie's sleeve in person. "Please, Mr. Townsend! Please help me!"

She looked wild-eyed and panicked. The stress of her situation was more than enough, but this final blow was quickly beginning to overwhelm her. Her chest began to heave as she did her best to fight a breakdown.

Kris rushed over to her and guided her to the couch. "It's gonna be alright. Just stay calm." she said gently, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. She looked anxiously back at Bosely and her friends. "We can call the police and clear this up, can't we?"

Laura's head shot up. "No!" she cried in a strangled voice. "No, please don't! They'll arrest me! It'll be my word against his!"

Bosley and the girls shared another look, all reaching a mutual consensus. Sending Laura to the police was an option that none of them felt good about. The police had just unknowingly released a named suspect in a murder case. That had to be a huge blow to their ego. They certainly wouldn't be happy and they might not be very understanding.

"Angels?" Charlie started, redirecting everyone's attention. "I'm going to find out exactly what the police think they know without mentioning Laura. " he informed them calmly. "In the meantime I want you girls somewhere safe and I want you together. Nobody takes any chances, angels. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, Charlie." Sabrina answered, staring directly at Kelly. Kelly rolled her eyes and turned away. "We understand."

"I'm glad." Charlie said solemnly. "Bosely, stay in touch. I'll get back to you when I know something. Be safe, angels."

The faint click told them that Charlie had already set off to get them some much needed information. For awhile the only sound in the room was Kris's hushed voice as she tried to comfort Laura. It didn't appear to be working. Sabrina, Jill, and Kelly watched Laura break down in tears. It was painful to see and not wanting to embarrass her, they stared back at Bosely.

"She might be safer with the police." Jill whispered so that only the four of them could hear.

"And what if she's convicted of a crime she didn't commit." Sabrina whispered back.

Jill let out a derisive little laugh. "Well, where can we send her, Bri? Both Gary and the police have our information. It's not even safe for us to go home."

"Maybe she can hide out with Kris." Kelly suggested.

Jill shook her head. "No. Absolutely not, she's staying with me. I don't want Kris involved." she said firmly.

"Kris is already involved." Kelly shot back. "And you said so yourself, her place is much safer than any of ours right now."

Bosely's eyes darted back and forth between the three girls as if he was watching a particularly intense tennis game. Jill, Kelly and Sabrina quietly but heatedly argued back and forth for a minute before he got a chance to jump in.

"Why don't all of you stay with Kris in San Francisco." Bosely suggested.

The three girls turned to stare at him, suddenly united again.

"Run and hide? Then how do you expect us to catch these guys, Bosely?" Sabrina asked wearily, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Bosely shrugged. "Me and Charlie both want to keep you girls safe. You need to stay together." he said carefully, not wanting to insult the girls. "If this guy didn't know where all of you lived, then it might be ok to stay with Sabrina because of the gate and the security. But that isn't an option. You need somewhere safe."

Jill sighed and rested her head in hands. It was starting to ache.

"But he does know where we all live. Our addresses are right there on our driver's licenses." she said wearily. "He knows where we live, he knows our names, he knows our birthdays."

She threw up her hands. "So where do you suggest we go, Boz?"

Bosely was about to suggest that they move in with him when Sabrina suddenly bolted upright with a gasp, startling all three of her companions.

"My driver's license!" she cried excitedly, snapping her finger. Her excitement caught the attention of Kris and Laura on the couch and they joined everyone else in staring at Sabrina in complete bewilderment.

"Yeah?" Kelly pressed impatiently. "What about it?"

Sabrina was beaming now for reasons only she understood. "I haven't changed it in two years!" she announced, looking between her friends happily.

Jill rubbed her temples and sighed in irritation. "So what?" she muttered. "You have to get a new one anyway."

Sabrina frowned, her enthusiasm deflated. Annoyed that her friends weren't reading between the lines, she leaned forward and patted the desk excitedly. "Two years ago I was married to Bill and we lived in those old apartments that they closed down last year!"

This piece of information did the trick. Finally, her friends caught up and instantly mirrored her enthusiasm.

"So they don't know where Bri lives!" Jill gushed happily. She turned to Bosely. "Boz! We'll be safe at Bri's place!"

Bosely was silent for a moment as he considered. Finally he cleared his throat.

"You're sure about the address Sabrina?" he asked.

Sabrina nodded her head. "Positive. They won't have any clue where we are and we can still be on the case."

Bosely nodded again, half wishing they weren't so excited about being in danger. But, at least they would be together. And though he would sleep better knowing the girls were out of town or with him, having them close at hand to help solve the case would be beneficial too. Plus, if he had to pick one of the girls to have her address undisclosed to those horrible men, Sabrina would be it. Her apartment was in a busy part of town and so well secured because of it.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I'll tell Charlie." he said reluctantly. He flashed a grin at Sabrina. "Looks like you have four houseguests for awhile. Maybe five, depending on what you make for dinner."

Sabrina laughed and rolled her eyes. "You think I'm gonna cook when there are others present who are so much better at it?"

Bosely smiled and patted her shoulder, before standing and clearing his throat.

"Alright, girls. Go to Sabrina's and make sure you aren't followed." he said. "I'll get in touch with Charlie and as soon as we figure out what's going on, we'll call you."

The girls nodded and mumbled their agreement as they got up to leave. Laura had stopped crying a moment ago, but to the girls' concern, she looked like she was in shock. She clung to Kris like she was her only lifeline as they walked to the door. She would clearly need some looking after. And, it was fortunate that they would be at Sabrina's apartment in twenty minutes, because she would clearly need a drink as well.

Bosely followed them out of the office.

"It might be awhile, girls. Don't be afraid to get some rest, you all look tired."

Jill laughed as Kelly helped her balance on her crutches. "Is that a polite way of telling us that we look terrible?"

Bosely grinned and stepped forward to open the door. "Not at all, Jill."

"Well, don't worry." Sabrina piped up. "I'll put Jill to bed as soon as we get to my place."

Jill made a face. "I'm not that tired."

"Oh trust me, you will be."

Her mysterious tone made her companions stop and stare at her and Jill's banter. Jill shrugged at their questioning glances.

"Why will I be tired?"

Sabrina made sure to move out of arm's reach before she answered. And then after a moment of consideration, she took another step back to be out of crutch's reach as well.

"Because, Jill." she started. "There's no elevator and I live on the top floor remember?"

Jill froze in her spot and stood blinking in stunned silence. Finally, she squared her shoulders bravely and pushed her way to the door, past her grinning companions, as if the news hadn't bothered her at all.

"That's just fine." she said airily. "I'd take that over getting shot any day."

Her friends knew better than to question that remark. They helped Jill into Kelly's car and drove off in the direction of Sabrina's house. It was going to be their home until safety decided otherwise.

* * *

"Are you sure it's not too late to let someone shoot me?"

Sabrina turned and glared at Jill, thankful that she was too winded to answer her stupid question. Not that her injured friend would have noticed.

Jill was slumped against the wall of the stairwell, breathing heavily and clutching onto her arm with both hands to keep her balance.

"Bri." she panted. "How much more?"

Sabrina sighed and leaned her head against the cool slick wall. "Two more flights of stairs Jill." she answered wearily. "You can do it."

Jill moaned and shook her head. "Ugh. This isn't worth it."

"Tell me about it." Sabrina piped up casually. "We've been lobbying for an elevator all year."

Jill glared at her. "I can sleep right here. Just get me my pillow and a book." she muttered, wiping her face. She frowned at the moisture on her hand. "No, wait. I'm all sweaty. Get me Kelly's pillow and a book."

Sabrina laughed. "Sure. I'll wring it out for you. She drools when she's overtired. And how many crayons do you want with your book?"

Jill smiled and elbowed her playfully. "Very funny." she giggled. "Fine. Scratch the pillow and the book. Just leave me. I'm tired of stairs."

With an over exaggerated sigh of defeat, Sabrina nodded her head and prepared to step away.

"Alright, Jill." she said. "I'll be back with some bug spray. The bugs like to hang out in the stairwells at night."

"Bugs?" Jill echoed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Why are there bugs here? You pay too much to live with bugs!"

"I don't sleep in the stairwell."

Jill hung her head and sighed. Sabrina had a point. She took a deep breath and focused her eyes on the top step of the next flight of stairs.

"Fine. Two more flights. Let's do it."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, all of the girls were milling around Sabrina's apartment aimlessly, save Jill who was sprawled out on the couch in exhaustion. Though the girls did their best to keep the mood light for Laura's sake, the air was thick was tension and restless energy. They had no control over what happened next and sitting around to wait for news was maddening.

Sabrina had put on a pot of coffee for her guests and now busied herself pouring out drinks. She found herself grateful that they had already had dinner at Jill's house earlier that evening. There wasn't much here in the way of snacks. Kris got up and helped her distribute the mugs amongst her friends.

With her own mug in hand, Sabrina slumped into a chair at her dining room table and peered disinterestedly into the hot brown liquid. The aromatic steam that rose the coffee filled her senses. She had made it to give everyone something to do. Not because she really wanted it. She sighed. At least the smell was comforting. Sabrina sat quietly with her drink for a few minutes. The five of them needed to have a talk, but that was something she didn't want to deal with at the moment.

"I think this is my favorite recipe of yours."

Sabrina looked up and smiled as Kelly pulled out a chair beside her and sat down with her coffee. "Thinking?" Kelly asked, taking a sip.

Sabrina shrugged. "I try not to." she joked. She took her first sip of coffee and rolled the warm mug in between her hands. "Just wish I knew what to do."

"I think we all wished that." Kelly answered after a moment.

She took another sip of coffee and looked over to where Kris and Laura were seated on the arm of the couch, talking quietly amongst themselves. She glanced at Sabrina and looked away.

Without having to say it, she knew that Sabrina felt just as responsible for Kris and Laura as she did. Poor Laura was in way over her head. She had nowhere to go, nobody to help her, and her only hope rested with them. Holding a young woman's life in their hands was a great deal of responsibilty. Letting her down was simply not an option.

Kelly's gaze traveled from Laura to Kris and she smiled, remembering the first time she had met her. The Munroe family had immediately taken her under their wing at a time in her life when she had nobody and words could not convey how grateful she was for that. They had done the same for Sabrina the moment they met her as well, providing the two of them with the mother and sisters that life had denied them. The two of them had known Kris Munroe for years now, and she was their little sister just as much as she was Jill's. It was their duty to keep her from harm.

It didn't help their situation that Jill was injured. She would need protecting as well, as much as she insisted otherwise. Kelly glanced up at Sabrina and the two shared a knowing look. as if reading each other's minds.

It was up to them it seemed.

"Hey, Bri!" Jill called from the couch. "What's this?"

Sabrina turned in her seat. Being injured seemed to have only heightened Jill's energy and curious nature. She had been playing with some random items on the coffee that were at arm's length to alleviate her boredom and was now holding up a large book. Sabrina recognized it immediately.

It was a leatherbound atlas that she had been leafing through a few days ago and had forgotten to put away. She opened her mouth to inform Jill, but Kelly beat her to it.

"It's a book, Jill." Kelly called, taking a casual sip from her coffee. "You know, like a sandwich. With words."

A sofa cushion almost immediately smacked into the back of her head in response, shoving her face forward and spilling her coffee all over Sabrina's table.

"Jill!" Kelly sputtered in surprise. Over uproarious laughter from everyone else, she jumped up, grabbed a dishcloth from the sink and began to mop up the mess.

Sabrina was howling. "I'd help you, Kell. But you deserved that!" she laughed.

Kris and Laura were more forgiving and, actually laughing for the first time that day, they moved in and helped Kelly clean up the table. Once finished, they both pulled out chairs and made themselves comfortable. Kelly, grumbling to herself, refilled her mug and joined them.

Sabrina looked at the crowded table. At least Jill and Kelly's antics were useful today. Everyone was more at ease now and gathered around the table thinking of something to talk about. Might as well be proactive.

"Hey, Jill." she called suddenly. "Come on over, we all need to get some things straight."

Sensing her business like tone, the girls at the table straightened up and waited for Jill to limp over to them.

"What's the plan, Captain my captain?" Jill quipped as she plopped down between Laura and Kelly.

Sabrina chuckled softly at the joke and swirled her coffee in her hand. "We don't have a plan. That's why this is so frustrating." she said. The rest of the girls murmured an agreement.

"Bosely will call soon and let us know what's happening." she went on. "But I think it would be safe if we all stayed here as much as possible until we do have a plan."

"I don't think Laura and Kris should leave at all." Jill added. Sabrina turned in surprise. Jill had seemingly read her mind and she was pleased that she didn't have to be the one to bring it up.

Laura immediately nodded her acceptance of the idea, but Kris made a face. "What?" she challenged.

Kelly looked between Kris and Jill. She was sitting between the sisters and suddenly realized what a dangerous position she would be in if they started fighting. Before Jill could respond, she made an attempt to soften the blow.

"It's just for your safety, Kris. We don't want either of you getting hurt."

"But I can h-"

"No way. You're staying here." Jill interrupted. "It's not safe."

Kris whirled around and glared at her sister. "Jill, you're hurt. Kelly and Sabrina need help and right now I'm mor-"

Jill cut her off with a dark look that Kelly and Sabrina were grateful wasn't aimed at them. "I said no, Kris!" she said in loud stern voice.

Kris sighed her defeat and looked away, embarrassed at having been scolded like a child in front of her friends. She needed to have a talk with her sister, but now was neither the place nor the time.

"Fine." she muttered, feeling her face grow hot.

The girls sat awkwardly for a few seconds, unwilling to either make eye contact or interrupt in case the sisters weren't finished. When the silence became unbearable, Kris cleared her throat.

"So, what are you three going to do then?" she asked quietly.

Sabrina looked up and realized she didn't have an answer. She bit her bottom lip and set down her coffee mug.

"I guess we won't know until one of them makes another move."

Kelly smiled.

"Fine. We'll play the waiting game until they do."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Busy- ness and house guests that are related to me. I'm sure you understand. Anyway...those are my excuses for being slow. Hopefully I'll be able to be better about updating from now on. Here's the next chapter!**_

_**- kp "free at last" 1185**_

* * *

Chapter 14

Laura shuffled sleepily into Sabrina's kitchen and sank down in one of the chairs around the table. It was still dark outside, but she guessed it to already be early morning. She yawned and looked around the still unfamiliar apartment in search of a clock to check her guess against. After nearly a minute of searching, she was a little embarrassed to discover a large silver clock hanging prominently above the bookshelf right in front of her. She rolled her eyes and leaned forward to see. Though the sun had yet to come up, there was enough light from the busy city street seeping in from the window so that it was fairly easy to read.

5:27

Laura heaved a frustrated sigh and buried her face in her hands. Her body was exhausted, yet she couldn't stay asleep longer than a few hours. Nightmares, memories of the past three traumatizing days, and overwhelming guilt disturbed what little sleep she had been able to get.

A car horn suddenly blared outside, making her bolt upright and pulling a startled yelp from her throat.

Laura immediately clapped her hand over her mouth and flitted her eyes to the couch, where Kelly was sleeping. Kelly stirred and murmured something into her pillow before rolling over and resuming her deep, steady breathing. Laura exhaled in relief and looked down at her trembling hands. She clasped them together and let out a soft groan.

The nightmares were bad, the guilt was horrible, and the fear was sickening. But overshadowing them all was this perpetual feeling of anxiety that felt like it was sucking the life out of her. Any sudden sound, any footsteps coming from outside, any unfamiliar voices from the hallway. Anything could be Gary, and everything terrified her, twisted her stomach in knots, and made her heart beat so fast she felt sure she would pass out. She had never felt so nervous and jumpy in her life. Surely nothing could feel this horrible.

Kelly mumbled again in her sleep, distracting Laura from her thoughts. After a few seconds, she shifted in her spot, causing her blanket to slip off of her and pile in a soft heap on the floor.

Laura looked at the blanket and sighed, wondering if she should give it back to her. She had caused these four women a lot of grief already, though none of them had complained.

She padded quietly over to Kelly and awkwardly returned her blanket before making herself comfortable at the table again.

When Charlie's call still hadn't come by eleven o clock last night, the girls had decided to give up and start fresh tomorrow. Jill had been put to bed in Sabrina's room hours earlier, unable to fight the effects of her medication. So, exhausted and unable to do anything, the girls decided to follow her lead. Sleeping arrangements were cramped in Sabrina's one bedroom apartment and jokes had been flying all night about how Jill and Kelly needed to be more irresponsible. But they had managed well enough. Kelly had already fallen asleep on the couch so the girls left her there. Kris shared Sabrina's bed with Jill, and Sabrina politely offered her the other couch while she herself slept on the floor of her bedroom.

They had all been tired throughout the day and hoped a full night's sleep would catch everyone up.

Everyone but her. Laura had slept in fits throughout the night and spent most of her time staring at the ceiling of Sabrina's living room and listening to the random and half formed mumbles and whispers coming from Kelly. She had never met someone who talked so much in her sleep. Finally, after waking from a particularly vivid nightmare, she had gone to sit at the table. For some reason it felt more productive than lying on the couch fighting insomnia.

Laura sat quietly with her thoughts until she noticed the entire apartment was illuminated with soft morning light. Another glance at the clock told her it was nearing seven in the morning. As if the sunlight was permission for her to be up, Laura finally decided to get up and wander around the apartment. Shefound herself in Sabrina's kitchen and leaned against the counter thoughtfully.

These girls had done so much for her, surely breakfast would be a nice gesture.

A quick search through the fridge yielded not much more than eggs in the way of breakfast. But at least coffee would be a good start as she mulled over her options. As quietly as she could, she rummaged through the cabinets in search of some coffee When the cabinets proved to be lacking, she tapped her finger on her chin in thought. Maybe Sabrina was like her and kept the coffee in the freezer?

It was worth a try.

Laura wandered to the freezer, wrapped her hand around the handle and tugged. To her surprise, the freezer door appeared stuck. She frowned to herself. Just like her fridge door at home. And just like her fridge door at home, this freezer just needed a good sound yank.

She braced her feet, whispered a quick prayer that it wouldn't be loud, and gave a good hard pull. As she expected, the freezer door jerked opened with a soft pop and swung past her head with her momentum.

As she didn't expect, the swinging door came to a sudden and jarring halt before it had opened all the way. The door bounced back at her, to Laura's extreme confusion, rattling with the force of whatever it had hit.

"Ow!" came a hissed whisper from just beyond her view.

Startled, Laura hurriedly shut the freezer door and, for the first time, noticed Sabrina standing there. To her absolute horror, her new friend was doubled over, cursing under her breath, with both hands clutched to her face.

Laura felt her face instantly turn bright red. Why did this keep on happening?

"Oh- Oh Sabrina, I'm so sorry!" she sputtered, rushing forward to steady her friend. "I didn't mean- I- Are you ok?"

Sabrina straightened and nodded her head. "Yeah, yeah. Fine." she mumbled. She touched her nose and then examined her fingertips. When there was no blood to be found, she decided she would live.

"What were you doing in the freezer anyway?" she asked, still rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Laura stepped back and let out a nervous chuckle. "Um, I was looking for some coffee." she admitted. "I had this brilliant idea to try and make breakfast for you girls."

Sabrina stopped rubbing her nose and raised an eyebrow. "You were looking for coffee in the freezer?"

Laura smiled. "I keep it there."

Without a word, Sabrina reached up and plucked a heavy glass jar of coffee grounds from the top of the fridge and plunked it on the counter. Laura stared stupidly at it. Tall people just lived in another world.

"Coffee in the freezer." Sabrina repeated, shaking her head sadly. "You're just like Jill." She suddenly smiled, putting Laura at ease. "Just don't tell her, huh? It's more fun when she's the only one with weird habits."

Laura smiled awkwardly, still embarrassed. "I won't breathe a word."

"Good." Sabrina answered. She looked around the kitchen and then back at Laura. "Are you a better cook than I am?"

"Uh-"

"You don't have to answer that." Sabrina said with a grin. She grabbed up the jar of coffee. "How about I make the coffee and you whip us up some eggs? I think I can even handle toast too."

Laura smiled.

"Sounds like a plan."

Sabrina acquainted her with the organization of her kitchen and then set about starting coffee as per their plan. She sighed to herself as the two girls bustled around in the kitchen.

Too bad breakfast was the only plan they had.

* * *

"You're just getting yourself worked up."

Gary looked up, turning blood shot eyes to his friend. "Oh, am I? he spat back sarcastically. "I guess I should be calm like you. We'll both going to prison if we don't find those girls, but hey, let's not get worked up over nothing. Thanks, Dr. Murphy."

"Oh, fuck you." Murph sighed under his breath, shifting the sock full of ice that was draped over his sore neck. After hearing on the radio that the girls had managed to get to safety, they had made their escape as well. Thinking Emmitt dead at first, the two had holed themselves up in a cheap motel room to figure out their next move. It was here that they had seen on the news that Emmitt was alive and the girls had talked to police. Gary had been simply impossible to be with since they had arrived back in Los Angeles the day before. His best friend's foul temper was nothing new to him, but this past week Gary had been a completely different person.

Murph glared at him and got up to refill his soggy tube sock. His boyhood friend hadn't always been the hot tempered and volatile man that he was now. The war had changed Gary. Both men had been drafted together in 1971 and shipped off to Vietnam just after their twenty first birthdays which were two days apart, a constant source of humor and reminder of their brotherly friendship before the war. It was also the reason they had gone to Vietnam together.

He had been a medical student before being drafted, and immediately after boot camp, found himself stationed as a medic in a makeshift hospital. Gary, however, had seen active combat and though both had witnessed firsthand the horrors of war, he had come home irrevocably changed in 1973.

Gone was the funny, charming, and carefree Gary Moore he had grown up with, only to be replaced with this angry, brooding, and frighteningly violent stranger. But he was still Gary, and changed though he was, Gary was still his best friend.

Murph hissed as he pressed the cold sock against his neck again. Unfortunately, this loyalty to his friend had gotten him into a great deal of trouble. He had gone to meet Gary that night after an urgent phone call and had been horrified to see that his best friend, with his violent temper, had actually killed a man. But Gary was desperate, had weaved a convincing story, and he had no desire to see his friend in jail for the rest of his life.

So he called up trusted mutual friend, Emmitt Tierson, and went to help get rid of the body.

And then poor Laura had walked in on them as they sat discussing what to do. And once again, Gary had lost it. And nothing that was said could stop him.

Murph sighed. He liked Laura, but that night he knew if he didn't go along with Gary that his best friend might just kill him too.

So he had. And that desperate plan had been shot to hell. Laura had escaped, run into those campers, and just like that, all five of them knew their secret and the only way to stop them had been to kill them all. He had always wondered how Gary could be so ruthless, seeing the shortest way to getting what he wanted no matter who or what he hurt. Now he could see. He had no desire to spend the rest of his life in prison. Hell, he wasn't even thirty yet. He hadn't even lived.

No. As good of a person as he had believed he was, Gary had changed the rules on him. Those girls could ruin his life. If there was a way to get them to keep quiet without killing them, then he would have done it, he told himself. Only a fool would have believed that though. As much as he hated it, it was him or them and killing them was the only way to live his life.

And then they had gotten away too and the impending feeling of doom was almost unbearable. They couldn't have much more time before all of this caught up with them, blew up right in their faces.

"Brian!"

Murph looked up, startled out of his thoughts by hearing his seldom used first name. Ice water trickled down his back and he pulled the sock away, slightly embarrassed at having been caught day dreaming.

Gary raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Dozed off." Murph said evasively. "What do you want?"

"Pain killer." Gary answered simply.

Murph groaned, fished a bottle out of his backpack and tossed it to his friend. "You need to go to a damn hospital. I didn't even finish med school, you're going to lose your leg." he grumbled.

Gary was busy popping two of the large tablets. "It's getting better." he insisted.

Murph scoffed. "It's getting infected. That's what it's getting."

"You took the bullet out already, what else is there to do?" Gary returned heatedly.

"It's not that easy, Gar."

Gary suddenly flung the bottle of pills across the room. The plastic bottle struck the far wall, splitting the lid in two pieces that went ricocheting in different directions. The pills themselves exploded from their broken container and clattered across the tile floor, the windowsil, and the card table in the corner. Murph flinched and whirled around to his friend in surprise.

"What, do you want me to go check myself in at the hospital right now?" Gary bellowed, his face bright red with rage. "You think Laura hasn't identified us? You think cops aren't looking all over California for a guy with a bullet wound in his leg named Gary?"

Murph sighed. "Emmitt said we were dead."

"And how long do you think the cops are gonna buy that crap, huh?" Gary sneered angrily. "They'll see that girl's house and know we were there!"

Now it was Murph's turn to get angry. He rose to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at his friend. "No, they'll see that you were there! If you hadn't gone flying off the handle and torn up that living room then there wouldn't be a problem!"

Gary laughed derisively. "Don't be stupid, Murph. They would have found out anyway. How long do you think it'll take for them to realize that they can't find our bodies in the woods because we aren't dead?"

"Lots of people get lost and are never found." Murph countered stubbornly.

"Why don't you get lost?" Gary shot back in irritation. He shifted his hurt leg over on the bed and cleared his throat. "Besides, those girls will tell if we don't get rid of them."

"How do you know they haven't already? We should be getting out of the country already, to Mexico or Canada."

Gary shot him a piteous look, his entire demeanor suddenly changed. "Christ, Murph. Canada?" he asked in wonder. "I'd rather be in prison."

"Gary-"

"Seriously, man. Have you tried Canadian beer? I'd rather wring out one of Emmitt's sweat socks and gargle with that."

Murph rolled his eyes. The old Gary was suddenly back, but he was too angry to appreciate it. "It's been awhile. They've talked to the cops about the house. Emmitt is a bone head. You think the cops are gonna believe anything he says once Laura goes in there to clear herself?"

Gary leaned back into his pillow and laughed, the way he used to laugh before the war. "She hasn't, man! It would have been on the news!" He laughed again and pushed himself off of the bed.

"C'mon, Murph. Look at it. Girl on the run, falsely accused, chased by her evil boyfriend." he laughed. "This is Days of our Lives shit, man! The press would be eating it up if she had already talked!"

He limped past Murph's chair, giving him a hearty clap on the back as he did, and bent down to pick up the pills he had scattered across the floor.

"Naw, bro." he said, as he scooped the pills back into their cracked bottle. "She's on the run. Cops came calling for her and she split. Those other girls might be hiding out with her, but she's not gonna talk to anyone."

Murph sighed and watched his friend clean up his mess. "And how do you know that?"

"Because I know Laura. She's scared." Gary replied simply. He flattened himself out to reach underneath the table for the last pill.

"She should be."

The hidden meaning behind those words didn't go unnoticed by Murph. He narrowed his eyes and watched his best friend flop back onto the bed, the cracked bottle still in his hands. "Then you want to stay here and kill them."

Gary looked up. The familiar old light in his eyes was gone, replaced by the more recent dark and sinister glow. "We have to." he said quietly.

Murph threw up his hands in disgust. "Why? Why Gary? Cause that little blonde shot you? I got my ass kicked by two of them and I'm a Vietnam vet. I don't care! I just want to get the hell out of here!"

Gary calmly set the bottle of pills on the night stand and again stood up to his full height. Even though Murph stood a full two inches taller, it didn't seem that way. Gary seemed to be towering over him. He took a step backwards, intimidated by the dark and barely concealed rage emanating from his friend.

"That's funny, I've never known you to step away from a challenge." Gary said quietly. He stepped forward until the men were less than a foot apart. "You scared?"

Murph fought the urge to back away from Gary's intense stare. He felt sweat bead up on forehead and the back of his neck.

"No. I'm not scared." he answered back in as brave a voice as he could muster.

Gary continued staring a moment longer and then suddenly smiled. "Good. Because I need your help."

He limped away and sat himself down with a grunt at the table. Murph exhaled in relief, following his friend with his eyes. Gary seemed normal again and waved him over just as casually as he would if he were waving him over to an empty seat in a movie theater. Not knowing what else to do, Murph joined him. Gary started speaking the moment he was seated.

"They're hiding somewhere and they're probably all together" he started matter of factly. "Now, we're not the only ones that'll be looking for them. Cops aren't stupid. If they're looking for Laura, they're gonna want to talk to those girls too."

He leaned back with a smug look on his face. " So how do we use that to our advantage?" he asked cheerfully.

Murph blinked at him, still unsettled. "Uh- I-" he stammered.

"We follow the cops around!" Gary said, slapping the table as if revealing the punch line to a joke.

Murph paled. "Follow the cops? Are you crazy?"

Gary shook his head. "They won't expect it and it's not like anyone is looking for us here. They think we're dead and no one has told them otherwise just yet."

"That's a stupid idea, Gary."

Gary's grin immediately faded from his face. "Do you have a better one?" he asked coldly.

"You already know what my ideas are." Murph sighed in frustration.

Gary went on as if he hadn't even spoke. "So, if we keep at it enough, a cop is bound to lead us to either Laura, one of those girls, or somebody else who knows where to find them."

"I don't know, Gary." Murph started. "Those girls weren't normal. They could fight and shoot a gun. I dunno, maybe they're cops or something, we should just let this go."

When Gary continued glaring at him without a word, Murph sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Fine. How long do you think that'll take?"

Gary flashed him a grin that made him extremely uncomfortable and gave him a light punch to the shoulder.

"As long as it takes."

* * *

Later that evening, the girl's were sitting around Sabrina's apartment, ready to explode with all of their pent up frustration. Bosely had called twice that day. Once at nine thirty in the morning to tell them that Charlie hadn't yet found out anything and once more around one thirty to tell them that they needed to keep Laura hidden. There was some kind of complication Charlie was still trying to get through.

In other words, Bosely had called to tell them to do exactly what they were doing. And with no plan of action except to stay put, the girls were slowly going crazy. Mostly recovered and caught up with sleep, they now paced restlessly, unable to sit still or pay attention to the movie Jill had suggested they watch on T.V.

"Was that the phone?" Kelly asked anxiously, leaning forward to turn down the volume for the sixth time.

Sabrina sighed in irritation. "No, Kelly. The phone is sitting right next to me." she said wearily. "Trust me. If it rings, I'll hear it."

Kelly slumped her shoulders in defeat and turned the volume back up. She hugged her knees to her chest and resumed her restless fidgeting in front of the screen.

The girls had been bickering and squabbling amongst each other for the better portion of the afternoon and evening. If Kelly, Jill, and Sabrina weren't arguing about something, then Jill and Kris were going at it. Only Laura remained the neutral party and though they didn't mean to fight in front of her, their frustration and restlessness made it impossible. While they hadn't minded each others company at first, they had soon discovered Sabrina's apartment was too small for all five of them. The cramped conditions coupled with their cabin fever were too much.

Kelly was just about to lean forward again when the phone actually did ring, startling all five of the girls. They shot to their feet, betraying any semblance of calm they might have been showing.

"Get it!" Jill cried, waving her arms. She was the only one who hadn't immediately leaped to their feet and crowded around the phone. But she was no less excited.

"Sabrina!" she yelled impatiently.

Sabrina snapped out of her trance and finally picked up the phone, just as Kelly reached forward out of impatience to grab it.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver, hoping her tone was neutral.

With Kris, Laura and Kelly huddled close to hear what was going on, Sabrina bent forward and listened carefully to her caller. After a few seconds, she moaned loudly, pushed Kelly out of the way and slammed the phone down in it's place.

"What?" Kris and Kelly pressed at the same time.

Frustrated with their crowding, Sabrina got up and shouldered her way past them.

"Nothing!" she fumed.

Jill sat up. "What do you mean n-"

Sabrina whirled around. "I mean nothing! It was someone selling insurance, not Bosely or Charlie!"

The girls stared at her silently, and suddenly feeling bad for snapping, Sabrina's angry expression softened. She dropped her hands to her sides and sank down onto the arm of the couch.

"I'm sorry." she said, rubbing her face. "I'm sorry. Look, I know how you guys feel. I'm just as frustrated and tired of waiting as-"

Her apology was cut off by a sharp, urgent knock at the door. All five girls whipped their heads around to it and froze in their spots.

Sabrina recovered first and in three quick strides was standing directly in front of her door. She glanced at her friends who were still standing motionless in her living room, wide eyed and nervous.

"Uh- Who is it?" Sabrina stammered.

"L.A.P.D." came a gruff, no nonsense voice from the other side.

Sabrina felt the color drain from her face. "Just a second!" she called through the door. She immediately turned to her friends and though they had heard the voice themselves and were already acting, frantically motioned for them to leave.

"Hide!" she mouthed silently, waving them away. She waited until the four had scrambled into her bedroom and shut the door, before sliding the locks free.

She slowly opened the door to reveal two impatient looking middle aged men in brown suits.

"Sabrina Duncan?" the short of the two asked, flashing his badge by way of greeting.

Sabrina forced a demure smile. "That's me."

"We'd like to talk to you."

Sabrina's smile widened, in an expression that she hoped conveyed utter confusion. She opened the door and gestured for them to come in.

"Is this about the woods?" she asked innocently. "I've already told all I know to the-"

The taller of the two men, who Sabrina instantly discovered was also the rudest, cut her off mid-sentence. "This isn't about that, Ms. Duncan."

Sabrina paused and tilted her head to the side. "No?" she asked. "Then what is this about, officer?"

The two men exchanged looks and the shorter one stepped forward. "I'm Officer Langley and this is my partner Officer Morin. We're trying to locate the whereabouts of Laura Jacobi. Have you been in contact with her?"

Sabrina looked puzzled. "No. Not since the other night."

"The Fresno police said she left with you and your friends."

The blunt accusation was designed to catch her off guard, but Sabrina was prepared for it. If the two policemen were looking for her to panic, then they were sorely mistaken.

"Well, yeah, we gave her a ride home." Sabrina said nonchalantly, leaning against the arm of her couch. "It was the decent thing to do and all. But I haven't seen her since."

Langely nodded, and leaned forward to peer around the empty apartment. "And your three friends? Kelly Garrett and Jillian and Kristine Monroe?"

Sabrina shrugged. "We spent the night at Jill's, but we took the week off of work, ya know, so I haven't talked to them since this morning."

As she talked, she noticed Morin step further and further away until he was peering into her kitchen. She felt her stomach flip. They couldn't search her apartment unless they had a search warrant, but that didn't make her any less nervous. Protesting his snooping would only make her seem guilty.

"None of them were at their homes." Langely replied, almost accusingly. His voice jerked Sabrina's from Morin back to their conversation.

"Really?" Sabrina asked, feigning mild surprise. "How bout that? Looks like the three of them took advantage of their vacation." Her eyes followed Morin back into the living room and towards her open bathroom door. The closer he got to her bedroom the more she felt like being sick.

Langely looked unimpressed. "All three?"

Sabrina shrugged again, her eyes still on the other man. "Well, I don't know. Jill was hurt pretty bad, her sister could have taken her up to her mom's place in Burbank and Kelly went along to help." she rattled off. "They could have gone anywhere, I don't keep tabs on them."

She knew Morin was standing directly in front of her bedroom door now, but she didn't dare watch him.

"But you went to the academy together. And they're your coworkers."

"Jill and Kelly are. I hardly know Kris." Sabrina explained, pretending to be annoyed. She didn't have to try very hard. The smug officer was irritating her, the wandering officer was making her extremely nervous, and she hoped to God that neither could hear her heart hammering away in her chest. She silently willed them to just leave her alone.

"Look, we've worked together for awhile but we aren't all that close." she snapped. "We took a trip together, but you can call the Fresno police and see how that worked out." She let out a bitter laugh. "I'm not in any hurry to spend any more free time with my coworkers, you can trust me on that."

Her false bitterness seemed to satisfy the officer. He nodded and tucked the notepad he had been writing on into his jacket. As if that was a cue, Morin stepped away from her door and joined his companion. It took everything Sabrina had not to heave a huge sigh of relief.

"Alright, Ms. Duncan." Langely said cheerfully. "Give us a call if you hear from any of them. It's important that we speak to them, especially Ms. Jacobi."

He smiled, a weak attempt to mask his frustration, and handed Sabrina his card. She took it and stuck it her pocket without a word.

"Good night, gentlemen." she said politely, escorting them to the door. They bid her goodbye and left her apartment. The moment the door clicked shut, Sabrina nearly collapsed in relief. She pressed her ear against the door and listened to their footsteps retreat down the carpeted hallway until she was sure they were gone.

Still jittery with adrenaline, she relocked her door and hurried over to her bedroom on shaking legs.

"They're gone." she called softly into her seemingly empty bedroom.

Five heads slowly revealed themselves from various parts of the room. Kris and Kelly from under the bed, Laura from the closet, and Jill from behind the long curtains covering the window. Though she knew they were hidden somewhere, the sudden sight of her friends from unexpected places was still a little surprising.

"Wow." she laughed. "You four really know how to get out of sight."

The four girls weren't as amused.

"What did they want?" Jill asked quickly, shuffling over to her on one crutch.

Sabrina turned towards Laura and gave her a rueful smile. "You had two suitors with badges."

Laura paled and slowly sank down onto Sabrina's bed. "They're still looking for me." she whispered weakly. "Is Charlie going to be able to clear me?"

"We don't know yet, Laura." Sabrina answered gently. "Trust him, though. He'll handle it."

"I don't know how much longer I can handle this." Laura whispered, covering her face with her hands. Kris sat down next to her and patted her back in a weak attempt to comfort her.

"I'm with her." Kelly suddenly cut in. "I'm tired of this. I'm going down to the police station myself."

Sabrina grabbed her arm. "Don't Kelly. Let's just ca-"

Kelly yanked her arm away. "We've been calm enough! I'm tired of just sitting here waiting for someone else to find us!" she shot angrily. "I'd feel better if we were doing something about it. What if our next visitor comes with more than badges and questions?"

The two stared each other down for a few tense seconds before Jill cleared her throat, redirecting their attention.

"Bri, maybe she's right." Jill said quietly. "I'd feel better if we were doing something about it too."

Sabrina cursed softly under her breath. "Well, so would I! But we have Kris and Laura to worry about and I don't want to take any chances."

"Then I'll take the chance and you stay here." Kelly shot back, turning to go.

"Kelly, wait!" Sabrina called. To her surprise, Kelly actually stopped and turned around, arms crossed determinedly in front of her chest.

"Let's wait until it gets dark. Another hour, ok? Then we'll both go."

Kelly was quiet for a moment and then slowly nodded her head. "Fine. But you're right. We won't leave them long." she said, tilting her head towards Kris and Laura. Laura seemed relieved, but Kris rolled her eyes, earning her a stern glare from her older sister. She ignored it. Maybe they could talk while Kelly and Sabrina were out.

Sabrina relaxed and flopped down on her bed, immediately dissapating the tense atmosphere her and Kelly had created with their stand off. "So, what do you want to do at the police station, Kelly?" she asked. "Try to vouch for Laura? You only met her a few days ago."

"No." Kelly replied. "I want to show them my living room. That's proof enough that someone's still looking for us, isn't it?" She hopped up on the bed next to Sabrina, all previous hostility forgotten. The girls sat quietly, thinking of what to do now that they had decided to do something.

Jill suddenly limped from her spot by her sister and sat down next to Sabrina, a huge grin on her face. "I know no one asked me-" she started teasingly. "But, I say the guy we need to talk to the most is Emmitt. He's the one that can set everything straight."

Kris laughed. "Why would he cooperate?"

Jill scowled and reached out her crutch to poke her little sister. "You don't know us, dear Kris. We can make him talk."

Sabrina and Kelly shared a look and then grinned. This could work.

"I'm glad you didn't hit your head too hard, Jill." Sabrina joked, patting the top of Jill's head. "There's alot going on underneath all that hair."

Jill giggled and swatted her friend away. "Glad you finally figured that out." she said airily.

"What do we do for an hour?" Kelly asked, looking out the window at the fading sunlight.

Kris shrugged. "We can teach Sabrina how to make toast?"

The girls burst into tension releasing laughter at Sabrina's expense.

"We only have an hour." Jill quipped, thrilled at not being the butt of a joke for once. "We'll barely be able to teach her to spell it."

Too restless for passive movie watching, the girls ended up playing cards for the next forty five minutes. Though they seemed relaxed and enjoyed themselves, all five of them could be caught sneaking discreet glances at the big silver clock above the bookshelf. Finally, the sunlight from the windows faded into the dull orange glow of street lamps and the girls mutally set their unplayed hands face down on the table. It was time to go.

Even though only Sabrina and Kelly were going, Laura, Jill, and Kris were just as nervous. They had been able to find what hospital Emmitt was in through an earlier news report and had the entire car trip to figure out a way to get alone with him. It shouldn't be too difficult. Merely a case of deception, depending on if his room was guarded or not.

With strict orders to be careful, Kelly and Sabrina hopped into the orange pinto and as secretly as possible, drove out of Sabrina's parking garage into the dark city streets. The hospital Emmitt was being treated at was a good twenty minute drive with light traffic. Unfortunately, though it was night, it was still early enough for the traffic to be annoyingly heavy. Kelly and Sabrina groaned in frustration. There was so much traffic, their trip would be extended an additional fifteen minutes.

So much, in fact, that neither Kelly or Sabrina was aware of the junky, faded red car that was stealthily ftrailing them from a safe distance.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kris wandered over to the couch where her sister was sitting with her injured knee propped up on a pillow. She had been playing rummy for over an hour with Laura, even though it was painfully obvious that neither of them were interested in cards. But, she had a hunch that Laura needed to be kept busy, so she had been overly cheerful and continued to deal the cards despite the restless and disinterested look on her new friend's face. Laura had been too polite to refuse. Finally, after winning every single hand, she decided to stop torturing the poor girl and had let Laura excuse herself to go lie down in Sabrina's room.

Anxious and now in need of something else to do, Kris plopped down on the couch next to Jill, being careful not to jar her sister's knee. When Jill appeared not to notice her, she squirmed in her seat, being as disruptive as possible to catch her attention. Then tried clearing her throat. When that didn't work either, she slumped back with a defeated sigh.

Jill looked like she was in the middle of an unhappy trance and Kris frowned at the miserable look on her sister's face.

Jill had declined the earlier card games, saying that she had a headache. She retired to the couch and turned on the television instead, where she had remained the entire time. For all purposes, Jill seemed to be captivated by the program that was on. She was silent, eyes fixed on the screen, and absently twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger.

Kris knew different. She glanced up at the T.V. to see the show Jill was pretending to watch.

Colonel Steve Austin ran across the screen accompanied by the familiar voice over of The Six Million Dollar Man's intro. Jill seemed to stare right through the screen.

"Jill, you hate this show." Kris said quietly.

Jill didn't answer and her manner indicated that she hadn't even heard the question.

Out of options, Kris reverted back to a childhood tactic and swatted her sister's stomach with the back of her hand. Jill jerked in surprise with a yelp and whirled around accusingly, whipping her blonde hair in Kris's face as she did.

"Why are you sneaking up on me for?" she snapped, irritation very clear in her voice.

Kris grinned. "Sneaking up? I all but mailed you an invitation." she laughed. "What's got you so out of it? I know it isn't Lee Majors. You can't stand him, his wife, or this show."

Jill furrowed her brows in confusion and turned back to the screen where the show was just starting. She made a face when she realized what was on and reached her crutch out to change the channel.

"I never said I didn't like his wife." Jill insisted, flipping channels until Maude and Vivian paraded across the screen. Satisfied with the change, she leaned back and tossed her head proudly. "I know good hair when I see it."

The two sisters sat in silence watching Maude for the next few minutes, Kris desperately working up the nerve to tell Jill what she had been putting off telling her for two months now.

Finally, the moment came. Kris licked her lips and took a deep breathe. It would feel so good just to get this off of her chest.

"He-" she started.

An instant before she did, Jill decided to let her sister in on her own troubles.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you." she sighed, patting her sister's knee. "It's just- I don't know, I wish I wasn't hurt. I can't help Sabrina and Kelly. I'm just dead weight. A burden, ya know?"

Kris closed her mouth and stared at her sister. This obviously wasn't the time to have her discussion. Jill was the one that needed to talk.

Tomorrow. They would talk tomorrow.

She gave her sister a sympathetic look and pushed her troubles out of her mind.

"Aw, Jill. It's not your fault." she said. "And you can still help out. Just not- you know- right now."

Jill laughed derisively. "Yeah, right now. When they need me."

"Well, it was your idea to talk to Emmitt." Kris said back, ignoring her sister's negativity. She grinned mischievously and leaned over her sister.

"Plus, one of you would have had to stay behind to babysit little me and Laura." she said in a baby voice.

Jill was forced to smile. She placed a hand on Kris's chest and playfully shoved her back. "I guess I'm the only one that can manage you?" she giggled.

"Exactly." Kris said. "You are a force to be reckoned with."

"Right." Jill laughed ruefully. "If any one comes in I'll crutch them to death."

"I know I would be scared." Kris said earnestly, leaning back in.

Jill narrowed her eyes at her and then smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Thanks, kiddo." she said gratefully. "Sorry for being a drag. I'll feel a lot better when they're both back here."

"So will I." Kris agreed, settling back into her seat. "Until then, let's just try to relax, huh? Let's watch Maude so we can fill in Sabrina when she gets back."

Jill smiled at her sister, slowly becoming accustomed to seeing her as the adult she now was. She made herself comfortable again and turned toward the screen. "Ok, Kris." she agreed. She did feel a little better, but not knowing what her friends were doing was still bothersome.

"Feeling better?" Kris asked after a moment.

Jill nodded her head.

"Yeah. I just hope Kell and Bri are doing alright."

Kelly and Sabrina stood at opposite ends of the quiet elevator, a handful of people between them. If anybody was curious by their bruised and scratched faces then they didn't make any more effort than a raised eyebrow or blank stare to show it.

Kelly and Sabrina pretended not to notice. What better place for someone with cuts and bruises than a hospital, they had decided in the parking lot.

The elevator glided smoothly past the first and second floor on its way to the seventh, their destination.

The girls both let out a soft sigh of irritation when the bell dinged and the car shuddered to an unwanted stop on the third floor. The doors slid open, the few people milled out and a scatter-brained looking young man stepped on, a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

"Evening." he said happily, sidling uncomfortably close to Sabrina. She rolled her eyes and leaned away from him.

"Fourth floor please." he said, burying his nose in his book. There was an soft but audible groan from the rest of the car at his laziness.

If he couldn't walk up one flight of stairs the least he could have done was punch his own floor.

With him, Kelly, and Sabrina, there were a total of four people on the elevator, giving him plenty of room to do so had he made the effort. Kelly, who was standing closest to the buttons, glowered at him, but obligingly punched the four.

The car gave a slight jolt and began going upward again.

"Oh no, I'm sorry." the young man suddenly sputtered, looking up. "Fifth floor!"

Kelly sighed and punched the five button a bit harder than she had the four.

"No, wait. Sixth!" he said again. "Sixth floor. Thank you, ma'am."

Kelly stared at him in disbelief and, muttering curses to herself, reached out and slammed the sixth floor button with the bottom of her fist. He appeared not to notice the obvious irritation on her, Sabrina and the old woman beside her's face.

Annoyingly, due to the young man's absent mindedness, the car stopped on the fourth and then the fifth floor, the doors sliding open and then shut after several seconds as if to waste as much time of the girl's time as possible.

When the car finally stopped on the sixth floor, the young man nodded politely to the three women and stepped out into the hallway, his nose buried in his book.

"Thank God." Sabrina muttered discreetly to the old lady.

Just before the door had completely shut, the bell suddenly dinged again. To Kelly, Sabrina and the old woman's immense frustration, the doors slid open to reveal the scatter-brained young man again, his book clutched to his chest and a sheepish look on his face.

"I guess I got the wrong floor." he laughed dismissively, sliding in close to Kelly this time. "Twelfth floor, please."

He buried his nose in his book again, not seeming to realize he was now standing closer to the buttons than Kelly was.

Kelly, patience already wearing thin, gritted her teeth then looked at Sabrina, who shook her head and looked away in disgust.

Obstacles. Always obstacles.

Not wanting to make a scene in front of the old woman, Kelly sighed and made a show of stepping forward and punching the twelve button, glaring daggers at the young man the entire time.

Whatever he was reading was enthralling, because again, he didn't appear to notice.

When the door opened to the seventh floor, the old woman stepped quickly out of the elevator, casting a disapproving glance at the young man. Her acidic look was wasted on the cover of his book, which was pressed up to his nose, shielding him from her wrath.

Kelly and Sabrina waited politely until the old woman had exited before stepping forward themselves. Before they left the elevator, a wonderful idea simultaneously came to them both. The two girls exchanged a sly look and nodded. Yes. This needed to be done, their looks told each other.

Sabrina pushed back the closing door.

"Are you sure this is your floor, ma'am?" Kelly called out innocently, causing the flustered old woman to stop and turn around.

"Yes, I'm sure, dear." she answered.

"Good."

Sabrina and Kelly leaned inside the open elevator and while the young man watched in confusion, quickly ran their hands along the row of buttons, lighting up the eight, nine, ten, and eleven. Their work done, they jumped back and the door slid closed a final time, gradually cutting off their view of the young man's now shocked and outraged face.

All three women waved sweetly at him.

"Have a wonderful evening, girls." the old woman said warmly to them, giving them a wink and a grateful nod.

"You do the same." Sabrina said politely. She turned to Kelly and the girls shared a self satisfied grin.

"Think that was too mean?" Kelly laughed.

Sabrina waved dismissively. "Hey, I'm not here to make friends." she joked. "Just to visit an old one."

The girls quieted as two nurses bustled by them. When they had passed, the girls wandered nonchalantly down the hallway in search of Emmitt's room.

The entire drive to the hospital, the two had been painstakingly going over different ruses they could employ to find the whereabouts of Emmitt Tierson without rousing anyone's suspicions. They had argued and bickered, poked holes in each other's plans, and bounced ideas off of each other until finally deciding to wait until they got to the hospital and saw for themselves the level of security before proceeding.

The girls had wandered through the hospital doors looking left and right, wondering where the elevator was and how one was supposed to go about searching for an enemy in a hospital room armed only with the knowledge of what he looked like.

Both were relieved, though slightly disgusted, when after all their planning, they walked inside the hospital lobby and within thirty seconds overheard two nurses talking heatedly about an unruly, short necked patient on the seventh floor. The nurses didn't mention his name, but the girls were already familiar enough with his attitude and comical looks to realize that they could only be speaking of one person. And sure enough, a few minutes spent searching the seventh floor led them to a promising hallway.

"He's gotta be somewhere on this floor." Kelly muttered softly as they walked. "We can't just knock. How do you want to play this?"

Sabrina shook her head. "Not sure. Once we do find him, his room'll probably be guarded."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "So that's two hurdles we have to jump over then." she said dismally.

Determined not to go home empty handed, the girls continued wandering the halls. Just as Sabrina was about to turn to Kelly to suggest they split up, one of the doors flew open and a harried and frustrated looking dark-haired nurse stormed out. The two girls quickly moved to the side to let her through, watching in puzzlement at her erratic movements.

As she stalked angrily away, another nurse came striding into her path from an adjoining hallway and the two women nearly collided.

"Whoa Martha!" the young black nurse cried, shielding her face to keep from getting her nose broken by the angry woman's forehead.

The dark haired nurse pivoted away, just in time to avoid slamming right into her friend. She reached out to steady her coworker.

"Ah, I'm sorry about that. I need to look where I'm going." she said apologetically.

The other nurse laughed and caught her arm as she tried to slip by. "That guy in 740 giving you problems again?"

The dark haired nurse rolled her eyes in disgust. "Yes! I've never met a ruder man!" she fumed. She shook her head, patted her friends arm and walked briskly down the hallway.

"Hombre feo. Parece a un sapo." she grumbled to herself as she went.

Her friend raised an eyebrow at her back. "Whatever that means." she chuckled, shrugging at Kelly and Sabrina as if sharing the humorous moment. "Hi there, can I help you two ladies?"

Sabrina smiled politely. "Oh no thanks. We were just leaving."

The nurse returned the smile. "Well, alright then. Have a goodnight." she said cheerfully.

"You do the same." Sabrina answered back with a nod.

The two watched as the nurse clacked down the hallway in her heels and disappeared from sight. Kelly turned back to her friend and noticed the excited light in Sabrina's eyes that appeared whenever she had figured something out.

It was about time one of them had.

"What? The Spanish? What did she say, Bri?" Kelly whispered impatiently, tugging on her sleeve.

"Uh huh, the Spanish." Sabrina answered. "She said the man in 740 looks like a toad."

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "Did we just get over hurdle number one?"

"Si." Sabrina answered with a grin.

As quietly as possible the two girls crept down the hall, glancing over their shoulders to make sure they were alone. It was past 9:30 in the evening and for all purposes they appeared to be the only visitors roaming the hall.

Room 740 soon came into sight and as if the room was marked with a giant sign, a tall, gray haired policeman leaned against the open door. His head was turned, listening to who the girls were almost certain was Emmitt talk. The officer sneered, shook his head and then fixed his attention across the hallway.

Emmitt apparently had very little fans here.

Kelly and Sabrina silently ducked into an empty corridor just in time to avoid being seen.

"Now what?" Sabrina whispered.

The girls were quiet for a moment, their minds racing for a way to get into Emmitt's room without being arrested. Finally, Kelly sighed, straightened her clothes and smoothed back her hair.

"I'll distract him." she said confidently. She gave a little twirl. "How do I look?"

Sabrina laughed as she took in Kelly's bruised face, wrinkled clothes, and limp, pulled back hair.

"Like you need a vacation." she teased.

Kelly scowled and gave her friend a shove. "Just wait here till I get him away. I'll only keep him for a few minutes so don't waste any time with small talk."

With that, Kelly squared her shoulders and headed determinedly towards room 740, adopting a bouncy, energetic walk that was almost a skip. Sabrina craned her neck to peer at her friend's back. She watched as Kelly bounced down the hallway and past the officer, giving him a quick, but friendly hello as she went by. Then as if she suddenly realized something, she stopped and slowly turned around in amazement. Sabrina had to stifle a laugh when Kelly let out an enthusiastic greeting and began to gesture excitedly.

The officer and Kelly chatted animatedly for a few seconds before walking down the hallway together and disappeared around a corner.

Sabrina shook her head in wonder. God only knows what Kelly had told him. The girl could talk her way out of anything. Without wasting another second, Sabrina popped out into the now empty hall and crept as quickly as she could though Emmitt's door.

He was alone in the room, lying in the bed closest to the far wall, chest and shoulder bandaged , eyes closed but probably not sleeping. Sabrina looked over her shoulder nervously and then stepped lightly towards him. Emmitt's eyes snapped open as he became aware of her presence.

"Hey! Wh-"

Thinking quickly, Sabrina reached down and dug a knuckle into his ribcage through the blanket, hoping in his medicated state he would think it was the barrel of a gun. "I would shut up if I were you." she whispered harshly.

Emmitt's eyes widened and darted anxiously toward the open door.

"He's not there, but go ahead and yell." Sabrina threatened coldly. "Give me a reason to shoot you again."

Emmitt, whether due to the drugs or shock, bought her bluff.

"What the hell do you want?" he spat at her.

Sabrina smiled broadly at him. "I want to know why you lied to the cops."

Emmitt scoffed. "I didn't lie to anybody."

"You told them your partners were dead and that Laura was an accomplice." Sabrina answered back angrily. "That sounds like a lie to me."

Emmitt sneered at her. "I don't care what it sounds like to you."

"You're going to tell them the truth." Sabrina hissed at him, digging her knuckle in deeper.

Emmitt winced, and turned cold, bleary eyes towards her. "I got picked up by the river. I have no idea if they're alive or not. I told the cops what they wanted to hear. What made life easier for them. Gary and Murph could just as easily be dead."

Sabrina glared at him and dug her knuckles deeper. "So could you." she said coldly.

"And as for Laura Jacobi." he continued, a faint grin on his face. "I'm not lying about that. She's got you fooled with that scared and innocent act. The way she had all of us fooled. Don't trust her, that's the mistake Gary made."

"You're lying." Sabrina scoffed.

"Am I?" Emmitt laughed. "You're trying to protect her. She'll use you all she can and then leave you to deal with her mess." He narrowed his eyes at the blank expression on Sabrina's face.

"Look at you now. Sneaking around a hospital at night, afraid to show your faces. You're not the ones in trouble with the law. She got you to hide her, didn't she?" he went on. "Doesn't want you going to police. She staying with one of you girls, right?"

Sabrina didn't answer, so Emmitt continued.

"She knows exactly what she's doing. You'd be smart to turn her in."

Sabrina had been staring into Emmitt's beady eyes, desperately hoping to find dishonesty in them. She couldn't, and the seed of doubt that he had planted with his words began to grow as he talked.

"You think you're doing a good thing, huh? You watch her. She'll turn on you the minute she doesn't need you anymore and she'll do whatever it takes to protect herself. You just wait and see, girl."

Before Sabrina could respond, Kelly's phony high pitched laugh echoed into the room from down the hall. A cleverly disguised warning that she and the officer were coming back.

Emmitt and Sabrina both looked up at the sound, breaking the tense silence between them. Without another word, Sabrina rushed toward the door and peeked outside to gauge the situation.

"Your buddy?" Emmitt sneered. "Well, thanks for the visit. Go on back to Laura. I won't even tell them you were here. Let me know when she turns on you, though."

He laughed. A raspy throaty sounding laugh.

"If you can."

Sabrina ignored him, though his words were knotting her stomach with doubt. A peek outside revealed Kelly and the officer walking back towards the room, a paper cup of coffee in hand. Kelly was laughing joyously at whatever the officer was saying, slyly hanging on his sleeve and forcing him to walk backwards. The man didn't seem to mind Kelly's flirting one bit.

Taking the opportunity Kelly had given her, Sabrina slipped out of Emmitt's room and strode as quickly as she could down the hall, hoping to put as much distance as possible between her and the room in case the officer happened to look her way. Feeling invisible eyes burning her back, she kept up her quick pace until she was safely back at the elevators. Only then did she feel safe turning around.

Sabrina waited impatiently for nearly another two minutes before Kelly appeared around the corner. She heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of her and pressed the down button.

"Let's take the stairs. That guy probably ratted on us the moment I left." Kelly said urgently, dumping her full cup of coffee into the nearby trash can.

Sabrina shook her head. "I don't think he did." she replied slowly. The elevator door opened and both girls stepped inside, grateful that they were alone.

"You get anything?" Kelly asked, the moment the doors had closed.

Sabrina bit her lip. "Yeah. Maybe." she answered. "I'll tell you in the car."

Her answer seemed to satisfy Kelly, who merely nodded and leaned back against the wall. Sabrina looked at her and smiled.

"Hey, good job. What'd you say to get that cop to walk away with you?"

Kelly shrugged. "Just whatever came to mind. Do you have a mint?"

"Kelly!" Sabrina cried in shock.

At her friend's horrified expression, Kelly groaned and shot her a disgusted look. "No! Oh, Bri! For the coffee! It tasted like dishwater!" she scolded. She gave her friend a disapproving look and shook her head sadly. "The way your mind works sometimes. I told him I knew him from high school."

Sabrina's look turned from horrified to confused. "High school?" she echoed. "That guy? That's the best you could come up with? You're the square root of his age!"

Kelly sighed and stared up at the ceiling beseechingly. "Can you use your imagination for just one second?" she asked. "I said I recognized him from high school, he babbled on about how I dated his son. I didn't even have to try."

Sabrina shook her head and laughed. "Well, good job."

"Thanks." Kelly answered, giving a little bow. "Oh and we need to stop by the gift shop and pick up flowers."

"Flowers? Why?"

"His son's wife just had a baby."

Sabrina turned away and shook her head in disbelief. Luckily for Kelly, the elevator arrived at the lobby before she could organize her thoughts enough to respond to her friend's strangeness. The two girls walked through the lobby and, after convincing Kelly to abandon the gift shop, hurried out the doors and into the cool night air.

"So what'd you find out?" Kelly asked, the moment they were safely inside Sabrina's car.

Sabrina sighed. "Well." she started. "Maybe nothing."

Kelly gave her an impatient sigh as she waited for her to figure out a way to word what she had heard from Emmitt. Sabrina keyed the engine of her Pinto and backed out of her sparking space.

"He said he wasn't lying about Laura. That she was in on it and she's using us to hide from police." Sabrina finally got out.

"That's crazy." Kelly said dismissively. "He's lying."

Sabrina nodded her head slowly. "I thought that too at first. But-"

Her sentence trailed off, driving Kelly crazy. "But what?" she sighed in exasperation.

"But he doesn't seem like he's lying." Sabrina continued. "And I know it's crazy, but he really seems like he's telling the truth. Says that's why she doesn't want us going to police, that she's putting on an act so we'll help her."

Kelly was silent for a moment as she absorbed this, the seed of doubt sowed in her as well. Sabrina eased her Pinto out of the parking lot and onto the still busy street. The girls sat quietly, mulling over the news and thinking back to their past interactions with Laura. Neither girl could remember anything suspicious about her.

But that didn't mean anything.

"We don't really know her." Kelly admitted grudgingly after a few minutes. "One of them is lying."

"Yeah." Sabrina answered thoughtfully. "What do you think, Kell?"

Kelly shrugged. "Let's just watch her. We'll tell Jill and Kris whenever we can get them alone."

Sabrina nodded. "That's about all we can do I guess."

"What about those other two guys?" Kelly asked. "He admit they aren't dead?"

"He doesn't even know, Kell. How could he? I shot him." Sabrina sighed. "They must have found him when they found us. He just said anything so they would think he's cooperating and give him a lighter sentence."

Kelly sighed in frustration. "So this might just be a waste of time."

"I don't know, Kell. Let's just watch her. And tomorrow I think you should call the cops about your house. You're not in hiding. And who knows, maybe she'll react to it."

"Maybe." Kelly answered, deep in thought.

The girls drove in silence towards Sabrina's apartment across town. Once they had turned off of the busy street the hospital was located, the traffic thinned considerably and they were able to drive faster and with fewer stops. They had been cruising for a few minutes when Kelly turned in her seat and furrowed her brows.

"Hey, Bri?" Kelly called, staring out the back window. "I think that red car is following us."

Sabrina's eyes flicked to her rearview mirror. There were three cars behind them and sure enough, the last car in line was red.

"Since when?" she asked tersely.

Kelly turned back in her seat. "I saw it when we left the hospital. And then it was at the last few lights. Change lanes all the way across, Bri, see if you can make a right here. Not too fast though, we don't want him to know we see him. If he does the same thing, then he's following us."

Sabrina, growing more concerned by the second, did as Kelly told her to, cutting across to the right lane much to the annoyance of the vehicles in her path. To their increasing alarm, the red car hesitated for a moment, and then cut sharply across the three lanes of traffic that separated them as well. The girls made their impulsive right turn and seconds later their follower surfaced in the rearview mirror once more on their tail.

"Shit." Sabrina breathed. "Looks like we have a tail."

"You think it's Gary?" Kelly asked quickly.

"Gotta be." Sabrina answered. "We can't lead him back to my place. We have to lose him."

"Ok, Bri." Kelly said quietly. "Wait until just before you get in the intersection and then make a U-turn. Go fast, don't slow down, we want to put as much distance between us as possible.

The girls coasted toward the intersection, their breathing becoming quicker and quicker as they approached. Sabrina clenched her jaw and squeezed the steering wheel tight, her entire body tensed and braced for action.

They rolled within thirty feet of the intersection. The green light was on their side and cars were passing through, unaware of the chaos that was about to ensue.

Twenty feet. Kelly braced herself against the dashboard, her eyes fixed on some unknown point on the street ahead. Both of her knees began to bounce as she readied herself for what was about to happen.

Ten feet. A white van squeezed itself between them and the red car on their tail.

"Now!" Kelly suddenly shouted, slamming her palm against the window in her excitement. "Now! Go! Go! Go!"

Sabrina yanked the wheel all the way to the right, sending both girl hurtling to the side. Tires screeched loudly and gravel sprayed from all four tires as the orange Pinto made a complete one eighty degree turn.

Car horns blared at the erratic and unexpected maneuver. More tires squealed against the asphalt and Kelly and Sabrina shrieked as two cars swerved by, narrowly missing the still out of control Pinto.

"Turn! Turn here!" Kelly shouted again, gesturing wildly to her right. Sabrina obeyed, banking a hard right and clipping the curb as she steered the Pinto down a much smaller side street.

Behind them, car horns wailed in outrage, tires screeched to noisy halts and the unmistakable crunch of metal against metal echoed in their ears. Through it all though, the faded red car bounced over the same curb they had hit earlier and lumbered towards them, the transmission grinding angrily in the wrong gear.

Sabrina cursed loudly and slammed her foot on the accelerator, sending Kelly tumbling backwards into her seat.

"Put on your seatbelt!" she yelled at her.

Kelly pushed herself up and whirled around in her seat. "He's coming, Bri! Go! Faster!"

"Get your seatbelt on!" Sabrina screamed again, slapping her arm.

The red car jolted forward, overcoming the little Pinto in almost as little time as it had taken to the girls to realize it was behind them. It was clear that though the car was old and had it's hood freshly dented in, it's engine was updated, souped up like a race car. Though the Pinto was speeding down the street as fast as it could, the red car was alongside it in seconds.

Gary's livid face greeted them from the passenger window. He was gesturing furiously, shouting into the roaring wind. And though they couldn't hear his angry shouts over the racing engines and deafening wind, it was all too clear what he was yelling.

Pull over.

"Brakes! Hit the brakes!" Kelly shrieked.

Sabrina slammed on the brakes, sending the still unbelted Kelly flying face first into the dash.

"I told you to put your damn seatbelt on!" Sabrina hollered angrily at her.

The girls screamed as Sabrina lost control of her vehicle for a split second, sending them veering into oncoming traffic. She quickly corrected her mistake and gained control just in time to keep from plowing head on into a truck. She couldn't be bothered with the truck's well being, though. Gary's car was fish tailing in front of them as he too came to an abrupt stop, audibly shifted gears, and suddenly sped towards them in reverse.

"Bri! Watch out!" Kelly cried again.

"Shut up and put on your seatbelt!" Sabrina screamed at her in response. The Pinto veered and swerved around slower traffic. All hell was breaking loose on the two lane side street. Cars went skidding out of the way in every direction, eager to get away from the two maniacs threatening their safety.

Sabrina made a hard left, narrowly avoiding Gary's car as it torpedoed right past them. Within seconds though, he had slammed his car back in drive and was barreling right towards them.

"Left! Left left left!" Kelly blurted out wildly. "Go l-"

Her frantic directions turned into a shriek as Gary's car smashed into them from behind, jarring the little Pinto and its occupants forward.

"Sabrina!" Kelly wailed. She flew forward into the dash again with Gary's second impact.

"Your goddamned seatbelt! Put it on! Now!" Sabrina yelled shrilly. The Pinto was no match for Gary's souped up vehicle and try as they might, the girls couldn't evade it. They continued barreling down the street, weaving and dodging traffic, running a stop sign and trying desperately to avoid a head on collision.

Again Gary pulled up to their side and again he gave them enraged instructions to pull over. When the girls didn't comply for a second time, the red car suddenly surged forward and sideswiped them. The Pinto slid sideways, but managed to stay on the road. Before they had fully recovered, the red car swiped them again and again, flinging the girls painfully against the doors of the car with shrieks of terror.

The pinto's tires bounced and skidded over the pavement, fighting to keep traction as it sped down the road. An oncoming car forced Gary to jerk his vehicle over into his lane and the girls were granted a brief reprieve from his brutal onslaught. It wouldn't last more than a few seconds though. They had to do something.

"At that next light!" Kelly gasped, blood streaming down her face from a cut on her cheek. "The next light go left and then hit the brakes! He might spin out trying to stay with us!"

Sabrina gunned her engine, staring straight at the road in front of her. "Kelly, I will say it one more time." she muttered through clenched teeth. "Put. Your. Fucking. Seatbelt. On."

As if she had just heard for the first time, Kelly obediently sat back and grabbed her belt.

"Thank you!" Sabrina sighed in exasperation. Kelly didn't get a chance to buckle it however. Thinking her friend secured, Sabrina suddenly swung the wheel hard to the left in one last desperate bid for escape, flinging Kelly sideways and yanking her hand away from the life saving belt.

Like Kelly had instructed, she roared into the intersection, slammed on the brakes, and thanked God that the traffic was unusually light at this hour. The Pinto squealed around the corner, skidding dangerously close to a lane full of cars.

Gary's car did almost exactly as Kelly predicted it would. He too made a sharp left, but a split second too late to stay on the street. Instead, his turn went wide, sending him careening into the sidewalk. In a panicked effort to keep from slamming into the many obstacles, he overcorrected, sending the little red car spinning out of control.

What Kelly hadn't predicted was the out of control car to spin right into them.

"Move!" Kelly screamed in terror. She grappled wildly for her seatbelt.

Sabrina floored the accelerator in an attempt to out run the inevitable, but it was too late. Gary's car clipped the backend of the Pinto with enough force to send the little orange car spinning out of control as well.

The two girls shrieked in terror as the Pinto spun across two lanes of traffic, bounced up onto the sidewalk, and crashed head on into an unforgiving steel light post.


	16. Chapter 16

_**I'm still alive! Sorry, this is taking much longer than I wanted it to. But Hurricane Alex and his stupid rainstorms have canceled all my outdoor fun for the next few days so next update will be much sooner I promise!**_

**_-kp_**

* * *

Chapter 16

"Jill, come sit down."

Jill looked up briefly to acknowledge her sister's voice, but continued limping around the living room anyway. It was past nine at night and Kelly and Sabrina had been gone over two hours without checking in once. For the past thirty minutes Jill had been unable to sit still, and though her knee ached and her crutches made her shoulders sore, she paced restlessly around Sabrina's living room in a worried fit.

"You're going to wear little round holes in Bri's carpet." Kris called out again from her seat on the couch.

Jill groaned in frustration and then, just for the sake of getting Kris to leave her alone, flopped down on the couch next to her.

"Why don't they answer?" she sighed. "They should be back by now. Or at least called."

Kris shrugged. "Maybe they got a lead or something?" she suggested.

"Them they should have called to let me know." Jill grumbled back. "Even though I'm crippled, I'm still part of the team."

"Jill, they're not leaving you out."

Jill rubbed her face with her hands. "Yeah, I know, I know. I just have a really bad feeling about this. I wish they would call."

Kris gave her sister an understanding smile and patted her good knee. "Why don't we give them another couple hours and then we can take Kelly's car and go down to the hospital and see if they're still there."

Jill nodded slowly. "We'll give them an hour." she said firmly.

"Fine, Jill. One hour." Kris agreed, rising from the couch. She stretched her arms above her head and walked into the kitchen. She was thirsty and getting a drink sounded like a good excuse for walking around the apartment. Sitting still was starting to drive her crazy. She was trying her best to remain calm for Jill's sake, but she was worried too. What if the girls needed help?

That thought sparked another about one important detail. Would they even be able to get to them if they were?

"Hey, Jill?" she called from the kitchen. "Does Kelly have her car keys with her?"

Jill swore under her breath, realizing that their recently conceived plan of action might be foiled if they didn't have the keys to Kelly's car. She began looking around, hoping desperately that Kelly had left them behind.

"I don't know, Kris." she answered. "If they're not in her purse, they've got to be around here somewhere."

Jill glanced down at the coffee table as she spoke, and began sweeping aside magazines, silently willing for her friend to have left them there. But she had no luck. Jill pushed herself back to her feet to check around the entire couch. Kelly was notorious for misplacing her keys. She had fallen asleep here last night, and if her keys had been in her pocket, she just might have absently tossed them to the floor.

Meanwhile, Kris had just finished checking the table and kitchen counters. The missing keys were starting to make her almost as anxious as her missing friends were. Without the keys, they might be helpless.

And without them, Sabrina and Kelly might be helpless.

"I'm gonna go check Bri's room." she told her sister as she walked by.

Without waiting for a response from Jill, she headed straight for Sabrina's door. Laura had gone in for a nap earlier and was probably still sleeping. As she suspected, door was open just a crack, revealing darkness inside.

Kris quietly pushed it open just enough to let in enough light from the living room to aid her search. To her surprise, Laura was not only awake, but sitting on the edge of Sabrina's bed, hunched over slightly with her back to the door. The widening flood of light that Kris was streaming into the room caught Laura's attention. She jumped and whirled around, startled by the unexpected visit.

Kris suddenly realized that Laura had the phone in his hand. If her intention had been to shield Kris's view of it with her body and hang up without being noticed, then she failed. She looked like she had been caught doing something wrong and her manner sent up an immediate screaming red flag. Why was she acting so nervously?

"Kris, hi." Laura greeted nervously, quickly standing up. "You scared me."

Kris pretended not to have noticed her jumpiness. "Sorry about that. I thought you were sleeping." she said lightly. "I just came in to look for something."

Laura smiled meekly and sat back down on the bed. She still looked nervous and jittery, fingering the fabric of Sabrina's comforter absently and eyeing Kris to determine if she had been caught or not.

Kris bit her lip, wondering if she should ask. Her eyes unconsciously drifted toward the nightstand where the telephone was sitting. Glittering in the hallway light next to it was a set of keys.

"Oh, I think this is what I'm looking for." Kris said, stepping towards them. A fleeting look of panic crossed Laura's face before she realized Kris was reaching for the keys and not the phone.

That was enough to cause Kris's curiosity to overpower her politeness.

"Hey, um-" Kris started, tossing the keys between her hands. "Who were you calling?"

Laura paled, realizing she had been seen.

"I- uh- just my parents." she stammered nervously. "I don't - I don't want them to worry."

"Oh." Kris replied casually. "Everything alright? You didn't have to hang up, ya know. Do you want to call them back?"

Laura gave her a shaky smile and quickly shook her head. "Oh no, we were done. Everything's fine."

Kris stood awkwardly for a moment, wondering if Laura would elaborate further and why she had jumped out of her skin at the mention of the phone call. When a few seconds of looking at each other didn't answer either question, she smiled and nonchalantly tossed the keys between hands. "Well." she said brightly. "I'm gonna go see if Jill wants to play cards. You interested?"

Laura smiled politely and shook her head. "Um- I'm kinda tired-" she said hesitantly. She let her statement hang, as if she didn't want to actually refuse.

Her hint got across easily enough and her refusal didn't surprise Kris very much at all. "Oh, well that's alright." she said. "Get some rest."

"Thanks." Laura whispered. Kris flashed her another friendly smile and then left the room, shoving Kelly's keys in her pocket as she did.

As she headed back to her sister, the smile faded and her brows knitted together in puzzlement.

Did Laura think she wasn't allowed to use the phone? She had seen Kelly, Jill, and Sabrina all use it since arriving, certainly she didn't think they were holding her hostage, did she?

Kris shrugged it off. Laura was new, she was afraid, she was with strangers. Maybe she didn't want to seem like too much trouble.

That must be it.

That solved, Kris headed back to the couch, where Jill had upturned the cushions, still in search of Kelly's keys. She would tell her sister about the phone call, and maybe later they could both convince their new friend to not be so timid around them.

* * *

Kelly's eyes slowly fluttered open. Her head was pounding, her chest ached, and it hurt to breathe.

The first thing she was able to fully register was a loud thumping noise echoing painfully in her eardrums and as she gradually became more lucid, she realized it was coming from beside her.

She slowly rolled her eyes toward the sound, confused by its presence. Her eyes had to travel upwards to do so, where her vision was strangely obscured. Her body was twisted awkwardly, cramped and uncomfortable.

The constant thumping continued, and unable to see it from the angle she was at, she turned her head.

A white hot pain instantly radiated down her back and shoulders in protest and Kelly cried out and let her body go limp. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she blinked her eyes, trying to focus through the gray haze in her head. Though it wasn't just in her head, she realized after a few moments. The air was actually hazy, making it more difficult to see. It smelled terrible, like burning plastic. She coughed, trying to rid her mouth of the taste of it. It wasn't the only bad taste in her mouth, she noticed. Her face felt sticky and wet. Blood? Probably.

As she became more alert, her ears picked up the muffled sounds of people shouting along with the annoying thumping beside her. Her brain weakly tried to place it. It was like a fist against a door almost.

All at once, she realized the thumping was someone banging on her window and she was sprawled on the floorboard of a car.

She bolted upright, unmindful of the searing pain in her neck, as the memory of the accident she had just been in suddenly flashed through her mind.

Gary's car. The light post. The accident. Sabrina.

"Sabrina?" she called out shakily. She let her head roll to the side to glance over at the driver's seat.

Sabrina was slumped forward in her seat, held up only by her belt and completely motionless. Blood was running down the side of her face and down her mouth and chin, the dark red a stark contrast to the paleness of her skin.

"Bri?" Kelly called again, her breaths starting to quicken. "Bri?"

The thumping, which had stopped for a few seconds started again.

"Hey!" someone shouted from outside. "Hey, unlock the door!"

Kelly hissed in pain as she turned to face her window again. A man was standing outside, trying to get her door open. The initial terror that it was Gary faded almost as quickly as it had come. This man was much older, had a concerned look on his face. He was trying to help.

But, the fact that he wasn't Gary was enough to dismiss him altogether.

In Kelly's disoriented mind, all she could think about was her friend. She turned away from the man at the window and twisted herself into a position where she could reach her.

"Bri." she whimpered, shaking her knee gently. "Bri, wake up."

Her friend's unresponsiveness sent her into a gut wrenching panic. Ignoring her own pain, she untangled herself and climbed over the gearbox into the driver's seat

"Sabrina!" she called in a frantic, strained voice. "Sabrina, wake up! Please wake up!"

The knocking on the window became more urgent. "Open the door, sweetie! We're trying to help!"

Kelly wasn't even aware of the man calling to her or the small crowd of people that had gathered around the wrecked Pinto.

"Bri, c'mon, you're ok." she choked through the black smoke in the car. She shook Sabrina's shoulder with both hands. For fear of causing any more damage, she didn't dare move her anymore than that. Sabrina didn't move. Kelly was suddenly nauseous, and the sickening taste of bile replaced the taste of blood and smoke at the thought that her best friend might have been killed.

Needing to know, she pressed two trembling fingers lightly against her friend's blood smeared throat. Her stomach flipped when she didn't immediately feel a pulse.

But after feeling around for a second, there it was. A strong, steady pulse.

Sabrina was alive.

Kelly almost burst into tears with relief.

Encouraged, she slapped her friends face lightly and called out to her again.

"Bri?" she called. "C'mon, Bri, please wake up, please be ok, you have to be ok."

She slapped at her again and to her utter joy, Sabrina let out a soft moan and opened her eyes. The slight action sent Kelly into a fit of elation.

"Bri!" Kelly cried joyfully. "Sabrina! God, are you ok?"

"Kell?" Sabrina mumbled. She looked around the destroyed interior of her car in confusion and then her eyelids slid shut again. Kelly's broad smile immediately melted off of her face and too distressed to think clearly, she grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her roughly.

"Bri!" she yelled frantically. "No! Don't go back to sleep! Sabrina, stay with me!"

To her left, the sound of shattering glass made her whirl around in fright. Someone had broken her window and the door was being pried open by two men she didn't know. The sound of groaning and twisting metal made Kelly's head pound even more, but it didn't concern her. She had to wake up Sabrina.

"Miss? It's alright, let's get you out of here." one of the men said gently. He crawled into the car, put an arm around Kelly's shoulder and firmly pulled her away from Sabrina.

"No!" Kelly protested angrily, struggling against his much stronger grip. "Let me go!"

"Easy, miss! You're going to hurt yourself!'

Had Kelly been more aware of her surroundings, she would have realized that both men meant her no harm. She also would have heard the sirens and seen the police cars and the ambulance parked right in front of them. But she was scared, disoriented, and hurt, and she fought him as hard as she could.

Once dragged out of the car and laid on the street, another man in white came towards her and knelt in front of her with a blanket. He tried to wrap it around her, but she thrashed and flailed against it in a panic. Someone grabbed her wrists from behind and pinned them in front of her, but it didn't stop her struggling. There was a faint sting in her right arm and seconds later her world went dark.

* * *

Sabrina sat quietly next to Kelly's bed, watching her friend sleep. The doctor had informed her that Kelly was fine, only sleeping, but seeing her lying so still and so pale, it was hard to take comfort in his words. She certainly didn't look asleep. She had seen Kelly sleep. Seen her asleep on her couch, on the floor in front of the T.V., at the office, in her bed. Kelly always slept curled up on her side, bunched into as little space as possible, mumbling and moving around constantly.

Now, stretched out on her back on a hospital gurney, bloodstained clothes and laying completely still and quiet, she didn't look asleep at all. She looked dead and Sabrina had to watch her chest rise and fall as a constant reminder that she wasn't.

Sabrina sighed and closed her eyes. She could feel the slight reassuring pressure from the bandage taped over the gash on her forehead. She had hit her head pretty hard against the steering wheel on impact, she had been told, and suffered a mild concussion. Not that it would have been too hard to figure out. Her head and neck were killing her and the pain pills didn't seem to be working yet. She shifted her right arm in its sling to a more comfortable position.

In addition to the head injury, she had sprained her right wrist and elbow trying to brace herself for the crash and the seatbelt had sliced into her shoulder and bruised up her ribs.

But, as the doctor told her, it had also saved her life. She had managed to slow the car down as they spun out of control, but had still been going nearly thirty miles per hour when they crashed.

Despite Kelly being the one still unconscious, she had actually fared much better. She had actually been conscious at the scene. Her best friend was banged up and bruised, but for the most part just fine. In fact, the only reason she was still sleeping was because she had refused to cooperate with the paramedics and her misbehavior had forced them to sedate her.

Sabrina laughed to herself. That sure sounded like Kelly.

A soft rustle of fabric caught Sabrina's attention. Kelly was stirring restlessly in her sleep, fighting to wake up. A few seconds later her eyes opened and darted around the room in bewilderment.

Sabrina felt tension in her shoulders that she hadn't been aware of release at the sight of Kelly's open eyes. She reached her good arm out and rested it on her friend's shoulder. Kelly flinched and flicked her eyes over to her.

"Hey, slugger." Sabrina said with a grin. "You ok?"

The confusion finally faded from Kelly's eyes and she smiled back. "Me?" she whispered, in disbelief. "I-I'm fine. You- you were-"

She stopped talking and sat up a little in bed to get a better look at her friend. Her expression immediately darkened with concern.

"Bri, wha- are you alright?" Kelly asked worriedly, taking in her sling and bandaged head. "Your arm? You broke you-"

Sabrina scoffed. "Nah, it's ok." she said dismissively. "Just sprained."

Kelly shook her head, still groggy and trying to wrap her head around the situation. She examined her friend for a few seconds longer and then reached out and took her arm, drawing her into a hug. "You scared me." she mumbled into Sabrina's shoulder. "I couldn't wake you up. I kept trying and you wouldn't wake up." She took a deep, calming breath and let it in out a soft laugh to disguise the fact that she was fighting tears. "Why are you so difficult, Bri?"

Sabrina chuckled softly. "I like my sleep. You know that."

"Not that much. Never like it that much." Kelly scolded.

The two girls stayed that way for a moment, both preferring to prolong their hug while they composed themselves rather than become emotional in front of the other. Finally, they pulled apart with a relieved laugh.

"So, you're ok?" Kelly pressed. "You're really ok?"

Sabrina rolled her eyes and smiled. "They ran every test they could on me." she laughed. "If I have something wrong with me that they didn't catch I think I can sue."

At Kelly's inquiring look, she heaved a sigh and decided to explain further.

"Just wanted to make sure my brain wasn't broken, that's all." she answered with a grin to put her friend at ease.

Kelly smiled. "So they were able to find it then?" she teased

Sabrina laughed and swatted her friend's knee. "Ha. Very funny. You got the same treatment too ya know." she replied. Her face suddenly lit up. "Oh, and I heard you punched a paramedic. Good going there."

Kelly look baffled. "I did?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"That's what they told me." Sabrina answered gravely. "Very poor sportsmanship, Ms. Garrett."

Blushing slightly with embarassment, Kelly carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing as her sore, achy muscles protested the movement. A wave of dizziness sent her reeling backwards, but she anchored one of her hands against the handrail of the bed and closed her eyes until it had passed.

"You alright?" Sabrina asked, leaning forward in concern.

Kelly opened her eyes and ignored the floating spots in front of them. It would pass as well.

"Fine." she answered quickly. "What time is?"

Sabrina shrugged. "Not sure. They poked at me for a couple hours." She looked up as she mentally calculated the answer. "Probably about ten or so?"

The answer startled Kelly. They had left the apartment around seven. "Did you call Jill?" she asked quickly. "She's probably going crazy by now."

"No, they just let me come down here after they finished with me. I've only been here a few minutes."

Kelly pursed her lips and snatched up the phone by the bed. "We need to tell Jill about Laura. Gary must have followed us from the hospital, he had to." she said, punching out Sabrina's apartment number. "How did he know we were there, Bri?"

Sabrina shook her head. Whether she liked it or not, Emmitt's words were ringing more and more true every minute. She watched quietly as Kelly drummed her fingers impatiently on her knee, waiting for someone to answer the phone.

"Jill, it's Kelly." she said quickly. "Listen, Jill, we're at the hos-" She broke off suddenly with a confused look on her face. "Oh, Kris. Hi, Kris." she said, immediately dropping the urgency in her tone. "Can I talk to your sister?"

She was quiet for a moment, giving both Sabrina and Kelly the chance to hear Kris holler for her sister though the phone. They shared a quick amused look. Some things would never change.

"Jill!" Kelly started. She looked a little irritated when Jill's audible babbling prevented her from talking. Sabrina shook her head and tried not to laugh. Jill was a worrier and right now she was giving Kelly a piece of her mind. Kelly tried to interrupt several times before getting frustrated and losing her patience with their worked up friend.

"Let me talk, Jill!" Kelly suddenly exploded. Immediately after, Sabrina watched her anger fade, replaced by complete exasperation.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry, Jill." she sighed, rubbing her face in frustration. "You're right. I'm sorry. Just listen, ok?"

Sabrina listened as Kelly filled Jill in on what she had heard from Emmitt hours earlier. Jill apparently didn't have much to say, because Kelly was able to tell her the entire story without anymore interruption. Only when Kelly had reported everything, did she pause to listen to Jill speak.

Her eyes suddenly widened and then narrowed in anger as she did. Concerned by Kelly's sudden change in demeanor, Sabrina leaned forward anxiously. Something had happened, something was wrong.

"When, Jill?" Kelly asked tersely. She stopped to listen again and then let out a soft curse under her breath. "Alright. Look, we had a little-" she winced, knowing well what her friend's reaction would be. "-a little car accident. Gary ran us off the road. Laura could have been the one to tip him off."

As expected, Jill's excited babbling picked up where it had left off, forcing Kelly to raise her voice over it. "We're ok, though, Jill. We- yes, I promise. We're still at the hospital, only we're patients now. Can you c-" She paused again, her expression blanking as if she had just thought of something.

"Actually, no don't come get us. We'll get a cab." She paused again. "No, I don't know, Jill, but its kind of strange, don't you think? Don't do anything to tip our cards to her. Stay there, I doubt she'd give herself away like that."

Sabrina groaned in frustration as Kelly talked, feeling out of the loop. What the hell was going on? She tapped both feet impatiently on the tile floor in front of her, listening to Kelly give Jill a few more reassurances that they were ok before finally hanging up.

"What's going on?" Sabrina asked immediately, grabbing her friend's arm.

Kelly clenched her jaw angrily. "Jill said Kris caught Laura on the phone around nine tonight. While we were still visiting with the toad. Then Gary catches up with us on our way back? Sounds a little coincidental, doesn't it?"

Sabrina exhaled sharply and leaned back in her seat. "It does. It really does." she agreed. "But why? Why contact him? I mean, we saw him try to kill her."

"Maybe we're bargaining chips?" Kelly guessed. "If she's desperate, she might try anything to get him off of her back."

A sinking weight dropped into the pit of Sabrina's stomach.

"Yeah, that would be something a desperate woman would do." she admitted softly. "Just like Emmitt said she would."

Kelly nodded thoughtfully.

"Just like Emmitt said she would."

* * *

Hours later, the faint clicking of a key in the lock sent both Kris and Jill leaping to their feet. Despite being on crutches, Jill reached the door first, just in time for it to open and reveal her two best friends.

She nearly fell back into Kris at the sight of them. Their faces, just healing from their previous ordeal, now sported fresh and much more serious cuts and bruises. Jill's wide eyes moved down to Sabrina's sling and she found her voice.

"Jesus Christ!" she choked out. "You- you told me you were both ok!"

"We are ok." Sabrina mumbled. "Let us in, huh?"

Jill and Kris moved aside and then crowded them again the moment the door was shut.

"What the hell happened?" Jill demanded, grabbing Sabrina's sleeve.

Sabrina and Kelly shared a weary look. "Can we sit down first?" Sabrina sighed miserably.

Without another word, Jill took their arms and ushered them to the couch. The girls winced as they settled themselves. They had been given something for the pain right before being discharged, but it was obvious that both were still hurting quite a bit.

"You don't look ok." Jill stated doubtfully, looking them over. She lightly touched Sabrina's sling and let out a shaky breath. "Gosh Bri, weren't you wearing your seatbelt?"

Sabrina rolled her eyes and let out a soft curse under her breath.

"We'll be alright, Jill." Kelly reassured her friend. She turned to Sabrina and patted her knee. "The Pinto's a goner though."

Jill scoffed. "Oh, I don't care about the Pinto."

"Nobody cares about my Pinto." Sabrina lamented sadly.

Jill smiled and sat down on the coffee table. "Hey, Kris?" she said, giving her sister a nudge. Kris, who had been standing silently in shock, turned to her sister's voice.

"Will you go get them some water?"

Not wanting to be away for long from the story the girls were about to tell, she nodded her head and turned on her heels. Kris could hear Jill fussing over her two friends' injuries as she rushed off to fill two glasses unevenly with water. She hurried back to the couch, sloshing the water over her hands as she did and thrust the glasses toward them.

"So what happened?" Kris asked urgently.

Kelly took a grateful gulp of her water and then looked over her shoulder. "Is Laura asleep?" she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper.

"She was a few minutes ago when I checked up on her." Kris answered.

"Good."

Kelly and Sabrina proceeded to fill in, without holding back details this time, everything that had happened from talking to Emmitt, to the close encounter with Gary, to their every growing suspicions of Laura's behavior.

"You think she's trying to hand us over to him to save her skin?" Jill asked, when they had finished.

Sabrina shrugged. "It might be that. It's all a guess at this point. Could even be just a coincidence." She turned to Kris. "She said she was calling her parents?"

Kris nodded. "That's what she said. She seemed awful nervous about me catching her- but- I just thought-."

"And you're sure it was nine?" Kelly pressed. "Positive?"

"I'm positive, Kell."

Kris suddenly looked guilty. "I didn't think anything of it. I just happened to mention it to Jill while we were waiting. You really think she's trying to sell us out?" she asked doubtfully.

"I don't know what to think." Sabrina admitted.

The girls sat quietly with their thoughts for a few minutes, trying to come up with a plan of action.

"Has anybody seen her on the phone other than this one time?" Jill asked suddenly.

Kelly and Sabrina shook their heads.

"Well, if she ratted you two out to Gary, who knows what else she told him." she continued. "She could have told him where we are."

Kelly shook her head. "I don't think she would. That would lead him to her too and if she really was on his side and trusted him like that then she wouldn't be here still."

"How is she going to leave with us guarding her?" Jill countered.

"She's had plenty of opportunities, Jill." Kris pointed out. "She could have left last night while we were asleep, or earlier tonight when we were both in Sabrina's room looking for the TV Guide. I just don't think she would do that. She seems so scared of Gary, it has to be a coincidence."

"So you think Emmitt is lying about her?" Sabrina asked.

Kris nodded. "Its got to be a coincidence. She's terrified of him." she said firmly. "And besides, if she told him where we were wouldn't he be here by now? It's almost three in the morning."

Sabrina sighed and rubbed her eyes. Her head was aching, her arm was throbbing and she wanted to go to sleep. "Fine. I say we just confront her and get it over with."

The suggestion was met with mutual agreement. The four girls got up from their seats and stormed over to the bedroom, where Laura was lying asleep on top of Sabrina's bed.

Neither Kelly or Sabrina were in the mood for games.

"Get up." Kelly snapped, swatting Laura's arm. The young woman's eyes popped open and she jerked away from her in alarm.

"Kelly?" she sputtered in surprise. "Wha-?"

"Are you contacting Gary Moore?" Sabrina demanded bluntly.

Laura's face went blank. "Gary? Am I contacting Gary?"

"Just answer the question, Laura." Jill added calmly, stepping forward.

Laura looked completely thrown. She looked between all four girls before shaking her head. "No, why would I contact Gary? He's trying to kill me!" she stammered, her voice becoming more and more frantic. "Are you kidding me?"

Sabrina scoffed. "Do we look like we're kidding?" she asked angrily, gesturing to herself and Kelly. "Your boyfriend ran us off the road, Laura. He followed us from the hospital. How did he know where to find us?"

Laura paled as she noticed Sabrina and Kelly's condition for the first time.

"What? I don't - No, I didn't call him!" she cried, tears running down her face. "Oh my God, no! You saved my life, I wouldn't do that to you! Please, please believe me!"

Kelly was unmoved. "Then who were you talking to on the phone?" she asked coldly.

"My parents!" Laura almost yelled. "I'm scared, I'm trapped, I just wanted to talk to my mom! You can call her right now, I swear to God!"

She lunged forward, grabbed the phone, and started frantically punching numbers. "Look! I'll call her right now!"

The girls shared a look and Sabrina waited until Laura's face registered that someone had answered the phone before reaching forward and snatching it from her.

"Hello? Mrs. Jacobi?" Sabrina asked pleasantly. "Hi, this is Sabrina Duncan with Townsend Investigations. When was the last time you spoke to your daughter?"

She listened for a moment and then heaved a defeated sigh. "Alright. No, nothing's wrong. Sorry to disturb you so late. Goodbye."

Sabrina hung up the phone and looked back at her friends. "Her mom said she called around nine."

"See? I told you!" Laura sobbed. "I wouldn't ever call Gary, I swear to God I wouldn't!"

She dissolved into tears, leaving all four girls standing awkwardly around her, not knowing what to do or say.

"Alright." Sabrina said finally, trying to pacify her. "Alright. We're sorry. It's- it's been a rough day."

Laura sniffed and wiped her face with shaking hands.

"Maybe Gary was watching the hospital Emmitt was at." Kelly sighed. "Maybe we let that guy get to our heads."

"I would never do something like that to you." Laura piped up firmly, still trying to compose herself.

The girls looked at each other and sighed, suddenly drained. They were tired, paranoid, and in Sabrina and Kelly's case, injured and fighting the effects of medicine. This whole ordeal had them wound up and on edge.

"We're sorry, Laura." Jill said quietly. "Let's just- let's just go to bed, we'll sort everything out in the morning, huh?"

"Ok." Laura sniffed. "Ok, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything."

"You're alright." Kris said gently, patting her back. "I'll stay here with you tonight."

Laura nodded her head weakly and, feeling foolish, guilty, and embarrassed, Sabrina, Jill, and Kelly trudged back into the living room and got ready for bed. Without a word, Kelly pulled out the couch bed and Jill grabbed some blankets out of the hall closet.

Their bed prepared, Kelly and Sabrina eased their sore bodies onto it, leaving Jill to stretch out on the opposite couch. The girls remained silent for a few minutes more before Jill finally broke the spell.

"You guys feel as bad as I do?" she whispered.

"Yeah." Sabrina answered back. "I think we're losing it." She rolled over, trying to get comfortable with her injured arm.

Jill noticed her discomfort and leaned forward in concern. "Hey, you alright, Bri?" she asked, reaching out and tugging her friend's blanket. "Do you want one of my pain pills?"

"I had one." Sabrina groaned.

"Not like this you haven't." Jill answered back with a grin. She snatched her purse from the coffee table, fished around and tossed Sabrina the bottle. Thrown off by having the use of only one arm, Sabrina missed the catch and the little plastic bottle sailed between her fingers and landed right between Kelly's eyes with a clatter. Kelly mumbled something under her breath, pushed it towards Sabrina and closed her eyes.

"Sorry, Kell." Jill giggled. "Hey, are you in pain? Do you want one too?"

Kelly shook her head under the covers. "No thanks, I'm ok."

Sabrina, on the other hand was eager for relief. She popped open the bottle and quickly washed down one of Jill's pain pills.

"Thanks, Jill." she whispered, settling back down.

"Welcome. You sure you don't want one, Kell?" Jill asked again. Her overly cheeful voice took on a sing song quality. "I don't think they gave you two the good stuff!"

Kelly poked her head out from underneath her blanket and smiled faintly at her. "You're not going to leave me alone until I take one, are you?"

"Nope!" Jill answered brightly.

Kelly rolled her eyes gamely. "Alright, then." she sighed. She took the bottle from Sabrina and used the rest of her water to swallow a pill as well.

Finally satisfied, Jill put away her magic pills and flopped back down on the couch.

"So, you think we can trust Laura?" she asked conversationally after a moment.

Sabrina fluffed her pillow and laid her head down. It felt so good. She moaned in contentment as she let the sore, whiplashed muscles of her neck relax into it's softness. Realizing finally that she had left Jill's question hanging, she turned slightly and shrugged her slim shoulders.

"I dunno, Jill." she sighed. "We'll watch her."

"Gary might have gotten hurt in the accident." Kelly added softly, from the nest of covers she had burrowed herself into. "Police are looking for his car, too. Several people reported it, he might be hiding out for awhile."

"So that might have bought us more time, then." Jill mused.

Kelly laughed derisively. "Yeah, it might have. You're welcome."

Jill giggled and shook her head sympathetically. This case was much too quickly taking its toll on their health. She lay quietly for a few minutes, too rattled by her friends' accident to fall asleep. Instead, she watched Kelly and Sabrina lying on their couch bed.

A cold shudder ran down her spine as she watched them. Her friends were lucky. It could have been worse. Much, much worse.

Though she couldn't see Kelly's face from where she was laying, she could see that Sabrina's eyes were closed. Her poor friends were beat up and exhausted and if the two weren't already asleep, they would be soon. Her pills would see to that. She would just watch until she was sure they were.

Jill yawned and stretched out her injured knee. There had been some improvement in her mobility today. Hopefully that would continue. She settled back down and stared at the ceiling, still wide awake and unable to turn off her anxious thoughts. One of those thoughts made her sit up.

Did Charlie or Bosely know about their accident?

Neither Sabrina or Kelly had mentioned calling. And even if they had, she was sure they wouldn't mind an update as to how the girls were doing.

Her mind made up, Jill pushed herself off of her couch and as carefully as she could, rested one knee on Sabrina and Kelly's couch bed to reach over to the phone. Though she was very careful, she shifted the bed slightly, causing Kelly to mumble something inaudibly. Jill held her breath and then relaxed when Kelly rolled over and went still.

The phone now in reach, she grabbed it towards her and secured it between her shoulder and cheek so she could have her hands free to dial.

She suddenly froze, index finger hovering over the first number of Bosely's home phone.

There was a voice coming from the other end of the phone. Someone was using the phone.

Jill stopped breathing and silently raised the phone to her ear.

" - all asleep, I'm sure. It's apartment 515B. Hurry."

Laura's voice.

Laura's voice telling someone where they all were.

The realization hit Jill like a blow to the stomach. She stayed leaning over Sabrina and Kelly for a few seconds, too shocked to react.

Laura had just given them away.

The thought blew through her mind yet again, bringing with it shock, fear, and an overwhelming sense of betrayal and confusion. Just when she had started to trust her, felt guilty for upsetting her with accusations, she had given them away.

"Kelly! Bri! Wake up!" Jill called in a harsh whisper, shaking the couch bed franticly.

Kelly immediately bolted upright, startled and wide eyed from the rude awakening. Sabrina followed a few seconds later.

"What's wrong?" Sabrina mumbled sleepily.

"Laura just rattled off your apartment number on the phone to God knows who! That's what's wrong!" Jill blurted out through clenched teeth.

Sabrina looked confused. "What? H-"

"I heard her!" Jill cut her off urgently, jerking her pointed finger toward the phone. "I was gonna call Bosely and I overheard her on the other line!"

This revelation was enough to get Kelly and Sabrina scrambling out of their bed despite their exhaustion. With Sabrina in the lead, the three burst into the bedroom where Kris and Laura were lying in bed. Had Jill not heard her talking on the phone not a minute earlier, she would have thought them both asleep.

"Laura!" Sabrina shouted angrily.

Laura, who hadn't been sleeping, sat straight up, a wild eyed, terrified look on her face.

"Sabrina? Wha-?"

"Who did you call?" Sabrina demanded again, giving Laura's shoulder an impatient shake. By this time, Kris was sitting up in bed, rubbing her face in absolute confusion.

"Bri, what are you doing?" she mumbled drowsily.

Sabrina ignored her. "Who did you just call, Laura? Answer me. Now."

Laura's face turned the color of chalk at the blunt accusation. "I- I didn't call anyone! I was sleeping!"

"Oh, come off it! I heard you!" Jill cut in angrily. "You gave someone the apartment number! Who Laura?"

With Kris looking on, growing more and more alarmed and betrayed as the facts revealed themselves, Laura pushed herself back against the headboard and anxiously hugged her knees to her chest. A quick look around found not one friendly face in the group and with not even Kris to turn to, she buried her face between her knees and started to sob.

"I called a friend!" she wailed. "I just want to go home, I wanted someone to take me home!" She raised a tear stained face to the girls and nervously swiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm scared! I don't want to go to jail for something I didn't do, I don't want people getting hurt because of me! I just want to go home!"

Kelly shook her head and shared a quick glance with Jill and Sabrina. If the girl was lying, she was incredible at it. Sabrina and Jill had both come across forcefully, so if the truth could be coaxed out of Laura, then it would be up to her to calm her anger enough to be the gentle one.

It took nearly thirty seconds and most of the willpower she had left.

"Our job is to keep you safe, Laura." Kelly started quietly, sitting down on the bed. "We heard some terrible things about you and we don't know whether or not to believe it." At that, Laura stopped crying and tilted her head in confusion. Kelly took notice of the well placed look of confusion, but went on without acknowledging it.

"You were on the phone with somebody and thirty minutes later Gary appears out of nowhere and nearly kills me and Sabrina." she continued. Laura tried to interject, but Kelly raised a hand to silence her.

"Now, you wait until all of us are asleep and Jill overhears you giving someone our apartment number. Please try to understand how strange it all sounds." Kelly reasoned, her voice eerily calm. Again, Laura tried to say something and again Kelly silenced her with a raised hand. "We understand that you're scared, Laura, and that people who are scared will sometimes do things that they normally wouldn't do." "So, I need you to tell us right now, if you called and gave our location away to someone to keep yourself from getting hurt. Tell me right now Laura."

Laura wiped her face, a little more in control of herself than she had been earlier, and looked Kelly straight in the eye.

"You four think I'm a criminal." she started quietly. "I'm not, I swear to you, I'm not. I called my parents earlier, you accused me of contacting Gary, so I panicked. I thought you were going to turn me in so I called my parents again and when I didn't get an answer, I called a friend to come get me."

Her nerves ran out just as her words did, and not knowing what else to do, Laura buried her face in her knees and cried silently. The four girls stared at each other, again put in the awkward position of not knowing who to believe.

"Look, I'll just go." Laura said, pulling herself out of the bed. "I'll go and be out of your lives."

Kris leaned across the bed and snatched her sleeve to halt her. "Wait, you were going to just sneak out of here tonight, weren't you." she said, speaking up for the first time.

Laura sighed and let out a shaky breath. "I was going to leave a note." she said apologetically, looking at Sabrina, Jill, and Kelly. "I just wanted to go h-"

All five girls whirled around with a shriek as a loud bang echoed from the living room.

The banging continued, one heavy crash right after another. Sabrina, Jill, and Kelly looked at each other in shock as they simultaneously realized what it was.

Someone was kicking in the door.

All four girls briefly fixed their wide eyed gazes on Laura, eyes burning with betrayal and anger.

Laura looked like she was going to throw up. "Oh my God, no. Don't- I didn't call them!" she blurted out wildly.

But there was no time to listen to her.

The girls sprang into action.

"Kris, lock yourself in the bathroom!" Sabrina shouted, yanking out her nightstand drawer and whipping out her pistol. Without waiting to see if she had obeyed the three girls rushed into the living room, Jill and Kelly racing to their purses to find their weapons.

Before they could, the door burst open with the unmistakable crack of splintering wood, revealing both Gary and Murph, armed and looking as furious as they had ever seen them.


	17. Chapter 17

**_Managed to not blow off any of my fingers so I can still type! My fellow Americans, I hope you had a great 4th of July! Non-Americans...I hope you had a great 4th of July too...even if it wasn't a holiday :)_**

* * *

Chapter 17

"Ladies." Gary greeted the room cheerfully.

Without additional warning, he opened fire into Sabrina's apartment, sending the three girls diving blindly for cover.

Cursing loudly, Jill hit the cold linoleum of the kitchen floor and skidded hard into the pantry, her crutches jabbing into her awkwardly as she fell. She frantically kicked them away, paying no mind to them as they clattered across the room.

Her gun. She hadn't been able to get her gun.

She glanced anxiously towards it. Her weapon lay fifteen feet away, gleaming inside her open purse, visible to her, yet completely useless.

She jerked back with a yelp as three more bullets exploded out of Gary's gun in rapid succession. The deafening crash of shattered glass and two dull thuds told Jill where each bullet had landed without having to see for herself.

And now Gary's shadow was passing by the kitchen entrance.

Panicked, Jill scrambled backwards in a desperate attempt to put as much distance between them as possible. From her new angle, she could see three bullet holes in the living room wall. Dust settled onto the carpet and glass tinkled to the floor from the new holes punched into the sheetrock and shattered living room window.

Where were her friends?, she thought wildly.

"Let's go, girls!" Gary's crazed voice boomed again.

Heart racing, Jill grabbed up one of her discarded crutches and held it in front of her like a club. She hadn't seen where Kelly and Sabrina had fallen, but she hoped to God that they weren't hurt.

Gary was standing in the middle of the living room now, noticeably drunk and swaying slightly with Murph curiously out of sight. Kelly and Sabrina behind the couch seemed to be his current targets. His moment would come soon, Jill realized with sickening certainty.

She squeezed the smooth wood of her crutch and prayed hers would come first.

Sabrina crouched behind the false protection of her couch. A few layers of padding and some pine wasn't going to protect her or Kelly from a bullet, but Gary couldn't see them and he had limited ammo. Had he come more prepared, he would be firing non-stop.

Or at least she hoped.

"You gonna die like cowards?" Gary bellowed angrily. "Stand up!"

Sabrina swallowed hard and turned to Kelly.

"I can't shoot left handed. You're going to have to do this." she said quickly, thrusting the loaded gun into Kelly's hands. Go to the side, take a shot. You have to hit him."

Kelly nodded in understanding. Gary might have no regard for human life, but she did. One stray bullet could easily rip through the walls and kill one of Sabrina's neighbors, who were no doubt awakened by the commotion. Bullets did not care about right or wrong, good or bad intentions. A bullet would destroy whatever it hit, regardless of its purpose.

"Die like cowards then." Gary's slurred voice came again. Heavy, but quick footsteps came thudding toward their hiding place and Kelly saw her window of opportunity slamming shut on her fingers.

Without another thought, she threw herself to the side and took aim at Gary's approaching form.

But aim was all she could do.

Jill burst out of the kitchen an instant before she pulled the trigger, one crutch hefted over her shoulder like a club.

And with Jill in her path, there was no way she could fire.

But Gary could.

Kelly shrieked as a bullet shredded it's way into the couch right above her head and lodged itself into the wall behind her. She frantically pulled back, the smell of singed fabric and gunpowder burning her eyes and nose.

Not a split second later, there was a heavy thud, a splinter of wood and Gary's enraged bellow of pain, all registering so fast that she wasn't sure in what order they had happened.

Jill had attacked though, that much was clear. Foolishly attacked a gun wielding maniac with a wooden club to save her friends.

The realization of what would happen next hit Kelly harder than Gary's bullet would have.

"Jill!" Kelly choked frantically, rushing forward with Sabrina. She had faced her opponent for less than a second, but it was more than enough time to see that Gary was the only immediate threat. Murph was hanging back in the doorframe looking horrified.

"Gary! Gary!" Murph hollered wildly from the doorway. "Enough! Let's go! People are screaming out here! Someone will see us!"

Everyone in the apartment ignored him.

The fight was unfolding rapidly. Jill had managed to knock the weapon out of Gary's hands with her surprise attack in the few seconds that Kelly had taken her eyes off of her, but that by no means made her safe.

She was weakened, off balance with her injured knee, and Gary was so out of control he didn't need a gun to kill her. Jill crutch had snapped in half with the first blow and with the majority of her weapon's weight now rolling on the carpet, it became useless. She desperately tried to stab him with the jagged point, but he dodged and landed a swift punch to the side of her head.

Gary had just knocked her to the floor, when Kelly, an unstable mix of fear and anger driving her, lowered her shoulder and recklessly hurled herself at him.

She connected solidly, every pound of her driving into Gary's side like a battering ram. With a roar of pain, Gary teetered sideways and tumbled to the floor.

He grappled wildly for something to steady himself with as he fell, latched onto the corner of the end table and brought it and its contents crashing to the floor along with him and Kelly.

A few feet away, Sabrina was darting back and forth, screaming obscenities. Though her gun was leveled and finger on the trigger, she couldn't fire at Gary for fear of hitting Kelly by mistake.

"Kelly move!" she shrieked.

But Kelly was not in a strategic frame of mind.

She swung blindly at Gary, her fists connecting with his face, shoulders, forearms. The two were brawling in a heap of broken ceramic and upturned end table, tangled up in the phone cord and sending bits of broken lamp flying as they thrashed about. Kelly fought him hard, but she was injured, drugged, considerably weakened and though she was on top of him, her upper body was receiving much more punishment than she was able to give out.

Sabrina and Jill rushed forward in a desperate to pull them apart and gain the upper hand, but Gary had caught onto Kelly's mistake and, much to her frustration, held her to him.

Murph, finally jolted out of his terrified stupor, rushed forward as well. Sabrina was caught off guard, too busy waiting for a shot at Gary to notice him move. He curled his strong fingers onto her injured arm and flung them both sideways, twisting Sabrina's arm painfully as they did. Her hand slammed into the hard arm of the couch, sending her gun flying across the room out of her reach. As Sabrina and Murph struggled, Jill left Kelly's side and threw herself in the direction of the abandoned weapon.

Gary was faster.

With one fierce blow, he flipped the end table up, slamming it into the side of Kelly's head and sending her reeling backwards with a yelp of pain. In one more fluid motion, he kicked her aside, lunged forward and grabbed Jill by the ankle, stopping her outstretched hand an agonizing few inches away from the life saving gun.

Cursing angrily, Jill kicked and kicked at him with her free leg, but the shock of the blows were too much on her knee to do any real damage. With Sabrina clawing uselessly against Murph's grip, and Kelly laying motionless beside them, Jill could do nothing more than desperately scramble forward, hoping to gain enough ground to get to the gun.

Her hope quickly faded.

Gary dragged her towards him, away from the weapon, chuckling deeply at her weak attempt to fight back. He rolled her onto her back and still smiling a twisted smile, gave her a vicious backhand across the face.

He had apparently forgotten about the gun.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, sugar." he hissed at her. "My leg hurts real bad."

Gary struck her again, sending Jill into a bucking and thrashing fit. He laughed and held her down with one knee, reaching his long body out toward the gun. Jill's heart, already racing, began to hammer furiously in her chest. He was going to kill her right here and she was completely helpless to stop him.

But before either of them could make another move, a gunshot rang out from behind them. A picture frame exploded on the wall above them, the bullet lodging itself harmlessly into it's metal backing.

"Freeze!" Kris shouted, her voice shrill and tense.

The five opponents froze in place, completely shocked by the new addition.

"Get away from them!" Kris demanded loudly.

Her words were strong, but her hands shook, her voice quavered and her shoulders trembled. But the two men were smart enough to realize how dangerous the combination of nerves and firearms could be. They slowly pulled apart, Murph releasing his hold on Sabrina's throat and Gary moving his knee just enough for Jill to slide herself out from under him.

She scooted forward on her elbows, snatched up the gun and covered the men from behind. Sabrina moved carefully around them, out of range of any bullets, and knelt beside Kelly, still lying motionless amongst the broken bits of ceramic lamp.

Now that the screaming and crashing of their fight had been silenced, the only sound in the room was harsh, ragged breathing, the smooth hum of traffic from the street below, and the faint sound of crying coming from the bathroom.

"I'll be damned." Gary started, breaking the intense silence. "This again?" He turned to give Murph an amused look that was not at all returned and then laughed. "So, I guess you two are sisters, then?" he asked conversationally, jerking his head at Jill.

"Shut up." Kris shot back. The gun wavered nervously but stayed trained on Gary's smug face.

The faint sound of sirens drifted in from the broken window and grew steadily louder as the seconds ticked by. Not surprisingly, Sabrina's neighbors had called the police at the first gunshot nearly five minutes ago. As they listened, the audible screech of a rushed turn signaled their approaching arrival.

"They're gonna come arrest us, Murph!" Gary crowed, as if the thought overjoyed him. "Here they come!"

Murph looked away from his friend in disgust. He face had taken on a sickly gray color since joining the fight and if it wasn't clear before who's idea the attack had been, it was glaringly obvious now.

Gary continued laughing as the squeal of two more vehicles turned onto their street.

"Just shoot me, honey!" Gary laughed, puffing out his chest. "C'mon! Shoot!"

Kris swallowed and tightened her grip on the gun. For the first time since leaping out of hiding and grabbing up Gary's gun, she allowed herself to look over her friends and her sister. The sight tightened her throat and made Gary's offer all the more tempting.

Sabrina was still kneeling over Kelly, patting her cheek and whispering soothingly to her as she came around. Her sling had come off and hung pitifully from her neck. Too busy to fix it, she had simply cradled her injured arm against her chest. Jill was leaning against the wall, nose bleeding and eyes blazing with anger. The barrel of her gun wasn't shaking in the slightest and Kris was certain that if Gary so much as made a move that could be interpreted as a threat, her sister would drop him without hesitation or regret.

"What are you waiting for?" Gary hissed, his joyful demeanor suddenly darkening without warning. "Shoot. Kill me. If you don't I'll be back."

"Don't, Kris." Sabrina called out firmly.

Kris took a deep breath. She wouldn't shoot him. Not with the police so close by.

Just a few more minutes.

"Kris? That's your name, huh? Kris Munroe?" Gary whispered. "Do it, Kris. You have to kill me or I'll find a way to come back. I'll come back, Kris. I'll kill you, I'll kill your sister, I'll kill your parents-"

"Shut up!" Jill snarled, her voice betraying her barely reigned temper.

"-I'll kill them all, Kris." Gary continued with a chilling smile. "You know I will. Only you can stop me. Go on, honey. Pull the trigger."

Even Murph was unsettled and with wide, disbelieving eyes, scooted away from his companion.

"Just a few more minutes, Kris." Jill said emotionlessly.

Seeing he wouldn't be able to take the easy way out, Gary lowered his eyes to the littered carpet and laughed softly to himself. Once again, the apartment was silent save for Murph's heavy breathing and Gary's half crazed chuckling. He raised his head and locked his cold gaze on Kris, hoping to unnerve her.

Kris longed to lower her arms, but there was no way she could allow herself to until the police arrived and she personally saw them handcuff both men and take them away. Cold, nervous sweat trickled down her back but she ignored that discomfort as well.

The silence of the apartment was broken by a lock unlatching itself from across the hall.

"Hey, Ms. Duncan?" a shaky male voice called out. "Everything alright in there?"

Sabrina pushed herself up on her knees and tried to look out her door. "It's fine. Go back inside." she called.

The old man, motivated by pure concern for his pretty, young neighbor persisted. Her voice was shaky and unsure and that was enough to warrant a need to see for himself.

"You sure?" he asked again, his voice getting louder as he approached. "We heard gun shots. Are you hurt?"

"Mr. Rosales, go back inside!" Sabrina snapped. "We're fine. Everyone's fine. Please go inside."

But the old man was worried. His meek, unshaven face peered around the doorway. He gasped as he took in the wreckage of the living room, Kris's gun, and Kelly still lying on the floor.

"What happened?" he asked in wonder, slipping inside. He had brought a sleek, wooden baseball bat with him, clutching it tightly in both hands. He wasn't a big man, the scar on his chest from his heart surgery last winter was visible through his undershirt, and Sabrina didn't know whether to be touched or completely irritated that he insisted on coming to her aid with sporting goods.

"It's under control, sir." Sabrina sighed through clenched teeth. "Please, you have to go befo-"

Before she had finished, Gary suddenly sprang up from his spot and lunged for the old man. The four girls shrieked in terror, thinking Sabrina's well meaning neighbor to be as good as murdered, but Gary had other plans. And with this opportunity dropped in his lap, death was no longer part of any of them.

"Murph, let's go!" he barked, twisting the terrified old man in front of him like a shield. He pointed a finger at Kris. "Put it down or I'll break his neck!"

Kris immediately complied.

"Brian!" Gary shouted again.

Murph hesitated slightly, making it clear that he'd rather be arrested. "Gar, it's over man. C-"

Gary's eyes burned into him with such rage that for a moment, Murph believed he would accidently snap the man's neck. "I said, let's go or I'll break your neck!"

Trapped, Murph wisely pulled himself to his feet and eased his way behind his friend and out the door.

With the girls looking on helplessly, the two men backed out of the apartment. Their heads suddenly whipped to the side as the faint rumble of running footsteps in the stairwell alerted them to the approaching police.

Gary cursed under his breath. Then grinning sadistically, he flung the old man forward and bolted, Murph hot on his heels.

"No!" Kelly hollered angrily. She pulled herself out of Sabrina's grip and lunged forward, fully intending to give chase. Her sudden movement after laying dazed for so long startled Sabrina, but she had the presence of mind to snatch her angry friend by the collar and yank her back. Not thinking clearly, Kelly pushed her away and stumbled out the door, Sabrina right behind her. Luckily for her, Kelly's body could not keep up with her willpower. Sabrina quickly grabbed her around the waist and jerked her out of the way just as a swarm of shouting officers trampled by in pursuit of Gary and Murph. Kelly struggled furiously against her.

"Hey!" Sabrina scolded. "Stop it! Let them handle it. We can't leave Kris and Jill!"

The mention of her friend's names was enough to clear the red haze clouding Kelly's judgment. She slowly relaxed and allowed Sabrina to lead her back into the apartment.

Two police officers were already inside with Kris, Jill, and a very rattled looking Mr. Rosales. One of them had handed Jill a handkerchief that she was pressing to her bleeding nose. Jill noticed their return and immediately got up and rushed over to them.

"You alright?" she asked, taking both of their hands in concern.

"Yeah." Sabrina answered quietly. "You?"

Jill shook her head, her face taking on an uncharacteristic darkness. "No. No I'm not." she said quietly. "I'm sick of this. I'm sick of hiding and waiting around for that son of a bitch to find us."

"Me too, Jill." Sabrina replied softly.

Jill surprised them by angrily slamming a fist into the wall.

"He could have killed you and Kelly earlier tonight! He could have killed my sister!" Jill continued, her tone getting more and more hostile. "I'm not going to sit here and do nothing anymore!"

Sabrina put a finger to her lips to quiet her but Jill was far too angry to be calmed. She pushed past her two friends and limped back over to the couch where Kris was, to her credit, calmly reporting what she had witnessed.

"Where is she?" Jill interrupted angrily.

Kris and the officer both stopped talking and turned to her in confusion.

"What?"

"Laura." Jill spat, as if her very name was poison. "Where is she?"

Kris's eyes widened and she bounced to her feet. "She's in the bathroom, but-"

Having heard all she needed to, Jill stormed over to the bathroom and, finding the door locked, began to pound on it with her fist.

"Come out here!" she shouted furiously. "Open the door! Now!"

Sabrina, Kelly, Kris, and the officer crowded behind her as she continued slamming her fist against the thin wooden door, rattling it so violently it seemed it would break.

"Open this goddamn door! Open it now!"

Kelly and Sabrina exchanged dark looks and did nothing to stop her. A conversation with Laura seemed to be on everyone's minds.

Before Jill could break down the door, the officer stepped forward, firmly took her by the arm and despite her protesting, pushed her towards her friends. Kris immediately latched onto both of her sister's arms to keep her from charging the door again.

"L.A.P.D." the officer called sternly. "You need to open this door."

The group waited in impatient silence for what seemed like hours before finally, the lock clicked and the door hesitantly swung open a few inches.

"I didn't call him." Laura's teary voice called out softly.

The officer pushed the door completely open and led Laura out. She immediately scurried behind him, refusing to meet the cold and accusing glares from her former companions.

"Alright." the officer said wearily. "Ladies have a seat and we'll sort this out."

"I'll sort it out for you!" Jill shot back at him. She pulled away from her sister and pointed an accusing finger at Laura. "Those men tried to kill us and she is working with them!"

Laura looked horrified. "No!" she cried, shaking her head violently. "No, I'm not!" She grabbed the officer's arm desperately. "Please, I'm not. I swear I'm not!"

Jill swore angrily and took a threatening step towards her, triggering a frightened squeal from the girl and surprised protests from her friends. Laura backpedaled away as quickly as she could, dragging the confused police officer with her.

"Ladies!" the officer yelled over the commotion. "Ladies! Enough!"

Grudgingly, the girls stopped arguing and settled down, a noticeable bridge of tension between Laura and the rest of them.

"Now." the officer started again, yanking his arm away from Laura. "Have a seat on the couch and explain what happened tonight."

The five girls obediently filed towards the couches with Mr. Rosales, filling up one and leaving Laura yet again separated on the second couch.

The girls glared at her and then back to the officer.

If it was an explanation he wanted, this was going to be a very long night.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Just as the sky began to turn gray with the approach of dawn, Kelly's yellow Mustang pulled into the dusty parking lot of a small, out of the way motel on the outskirts of the city.

The girls had spent hours with the L.A.P.D. going over everything that had happened from their escape from the woods, Kelly's home invasion, Gary and Murph's falsely reported deaths, to Laura and Emmitt's deceit. As she had been doing all night, Laura vehemently denied having had anything to do with their attack. But the evidence was sufficiently stacked against her. A young officer led her away sobbing to be taken in and formally questioned, leaving Kris and Jill both relieved, but struggling with the seeds of doubt. By this point of the interrogation, the Munroe sisters were the only girls left standing.

Unfortunately for Sabrina and Kelly, the pills they had taken just before the attack hit them with full force fifteen minutes into the interview, transforming them from valuable witnesses into confused and drowsy dead weight. Unfit to talk to police, Kris had herded them into Sabrina's room until the interrogation was over.

Gary and Murph had once again slipped through the police's grasp, they had found out towards the end of their questioning, so at the suggestion of one of the young officers, the girls made a quick decision to stay in a motel just out of town to be safe. The police left, and it had taken almost twenty minutes and the help of both officers to get Sabrina and Kelly down stairs and piled into the backseat of their car.

Now, nearing seven in the morning, Kris checked them into the motel, paid for a room with her sister's credit card, and then jogged back to the car to help her sister. She stopped short as she watched Jill hop on one foot between her two best friends, sitting on the floor next to the car. Kelly and Sabrina were a goofy, giggly mess and their behavior during the car ride had been terrible, leaving Jill both concerned and kicking herself for drugging them in the first place.

After everything that had happened tonight, it felt strange to be laughing. But Jill hopping around, trying to keep her two drugged friends from falling over was too much. A giggle fought its way up her throat, and once she started it was impossible to stop.

Jill turned her head at the sound. "Don't laugh at them!" she scolded defensively.

Kris covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm not. I'm laughing at you, Jill." she giggled. "You look like a flamingo."

Unamused, Jill rolled her eyes, put an arm around Sabrina's shoulder, and pulled her to her feet. Sabrina giggled in response and let her head loll backwards.

"I got Bri, you get Kelly." Jill ordered. "Be careful, they're hurt. Don't let them go too fast. They're both just- just gone."

Kris, holding back delirious laughter, wrapped an arm around Kelly's waist, helped her get her balance and then steered her towards the entrance after Jill and Sabrina.

"Jill, you poisoned us." Sabrina slurred, as they walked inside. "I can't hold my head up."

Jill sighed in irritation. "I gave you a pain pill, that's all."

"You did this on purpose." Kelly added in. Her voice was even more slurred than Sabrina's and it took a few seconds for Jill to realize what she had said.

"No, I didn't!" Jill huffed. "I thought we were going to sleep."

"Poison." Sabrina insisted, lurching forward drunkenly.

"Stop saying that! Why would I poison you two?"

"Jealous of my car."

"Sabrina, sweetheart, no one is jealous of your car." Jill sighed

Sabrina considered this for moment and then giggled.

"Poisoner." she whispered loudly.

Her answer seemed to delight Kelly, who burst into a fit of giggles. Jill groaned and clamped a hand over Sabrina's mouth to silence any future ramblings.

Kris felt as if her lungs would burst with suppressed laughter. Her sister was arguing so passionately with two girls who had no idea what they were saying and probably had no idea where they even were. Finally, after minutes of nearly choking, she burst into hysterical laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. She took refuge from Jill's warning glare behind Kelly as she dragged her along. Poor Kelly and Sabrina were tripping on nearly every step and Kris was relieved when the group finally made its way to their room.

She keyed her way inside and looked around the little motel room. Two twin beds, a T.V. that was probably from the Eisenhower administration, and a rickety looking table with a lamp looked back at her. Nothing fancy. Very basic and old looking, but clean. All they needed was somewhere to sleep though, so the tiny room was more than enough. She walked inside, pulled the covers back from one of the beds and let Kelly flop over onto it. Jill did the same with Sabrina in the opposite bed and then sighed loudly in exasperation.

"This is what I put you guys through?" she asked incredulously, gesturing to her incapacitated friends.

Kris started laughing again as she draped the covers over her friend. "You were worse." she insisted. "You couldn't even walk."

Jill scoffed. "You should have just shot me." she said in frustration.

Kelly giggled softly from her place on the bed. "Like Old Yeller." she slurred.

Jill glared at her. "I wouldn't mouth off if I were you, Kell. You can't defend yourself."

"Yeller!" Sabrina chimed in. "Old Yeller!"

The two girls giggled deliriously together, while Kris tried her best not to.

Jill hung her head in defeat, and cursed softly. "Yes, like Old Yeller." she muttered, smoothing back Sabrina's hair. "You win. Now go to sleep."

"I can't move my arms." Sabrina announced drowsily.

"I know, honey." Jill sighed, pushing her friend's head back into the pillow. "It's the medicine. Close your eyes, ok?"

Sabrina obediently shut her eyes.

Jill gave her sister a weary look and tucked her now quiet friend in as securely as she could. "Stay there with Kell. Watch her, don't let her try to get up or she might break something like she did in the car."

Kris stifled another giggled and looked down to see what Jill was talking about. Kelly was busily trying to push herself to a sitting position, her intentions a complete mystery. Kris caught her shoulders and pushed her intoxicated friend back down onto the pillow.

"Kell? You ok?"

Kelly stared at her for a moment and then nodded her head weakly in acknowledgment.

"Your sister poisoned us." she said innocently.

"Poison!" Sabrina echoed happily.

Jill heaved an irritated sigh. "I did not!" she snapped. "Bri, fall asleep already!"

Kris bit the insides of her cheeks. "Yes she did. I saw her. " she managed with a straight face, much to Jill's annoyance. "But you'll both be alright if you go to sleep, ok?"

Kelly looked confused for a moment and then nodded her head and closed her eyes.

"There you go." Kris soothed, brushing the hair out of her eyes. Kelly gave her no more trouble after that and with Jill grumbling obscenities about her bad timing, her traitorous sister, and her ungrateful friends, the sisters climbed into their beds and the four girls drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

Weak sunlight was streaming through the partially opened curtains when Kris opened her eyes again. For a moment she wasn't sure if it was evening or if she had slept through the entire night as well.

She sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and looked around the quiet room groggily for her friends. Kelly was still curled up next to her, sleeping peacefully. A glance at the other bed a few feet away revealed Sabrina doing the same. Except she was alone.

Before her sister's absence was able to confuse Kris too much, a bustling noise from across the room made her turn around in time to catch Jill emerging from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Hey, kiddo." Jill sang happily, striding across the room looking impossibly rested and refreshed. "You sleep ok?"

Still half asleep, Kris yawned and nodded her head. Without waiting for an invitation, Jill plopped down next to her sister and playfully ruffled her hair. Kris moaned and pulled her head away in protest. It was much too early for cheeriness.

"You're gonna wake up Kelly." she grumbled.

Jill looked over at her sleeping friend and laughed. "No I'm not. Trust me, nothing will wake those two up. They'll probably be out all night."

She gave Kelly's hip a pat to prove her point and then turned back to her sister.

"I'm gonna run out and pick us up something for dinner. Then later we can all sort this whole mess out." she said, discarding the towel and tying her damp hair back. "Stay here with these two. If they do wake up, make them stay in bed."

Kris made a face. "Jill, you can't drive with your knee like that."

"Sure, I can." Jill chirped back. "I'll be back soon alright?"

Kris sighed and wearily nodded her head in acceptance. Not that having it made a difference to her sister. Jill gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and hopped over to the door, where her remaining crutch was leaning, like she had been doing it all her life.

"Forty five minutes." she said over her shoulder with a grin.

"Be careful." Kris called after her.

Jill turned, flashed her a confident smile and clicked the door shut quietly behind her. Kris watched the closed door for a few seconds and then sighed and flopped back down into her pillow. She wished Jill hadn't gone.

She looked over again at Kelly and Sabrina, hoping that one of them would wake up soon and keep her company. The motel room was drab, uninviting and with Jill gone and no one conscious to talk to, her nerves were starting to get the best of her.

Hoping a shower would help pass the time until Jill returned, she carefully climbed out of bed, made sure Kelly and Sabrina were comfortable, and stepped into the bathroom for a long, hot shower. After she was finished, she dried off, dressed quickly and just like her sister had done earlier, stepped outside of the steamy bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel.

She stopped short, mildly surprised and pleased to see Kelly sitting up in bed, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, Kell." she greeted her. "How are you feeling?"

Kelly turned bleary eyes towards her voice and despite herself, grimaced in pain.

"I didn't know it was possible to be this sore." she mumbled, her voice still thick with sleep.

Kris smiled sympathetically and sat down next to her. "I can imagine." she said, patting her shoulder. "Jill went to get something for us to eat. She said to keep you in bed."

Kelly nodded weakly. Jill didn't have to worry. She had no desire to leave her bed. All the injuries she had received from the car accident and then the fight with Gary seemed to have worsened as she slept, then patiently saved all the accompanying pain for when she was awake. Her head ached and every muscle in her body hurt. Getting out of bed was the farthest thing from her mind.

"You alright?" Kris asked, noticing her obvious discomfort. "Jill has some more of those pills. Do you w-"

Kelly's eyes widened. "No!" she interrupted, shaking her head. "No! No more of that! I'll be fine!"

Kris laughed at her reaction and got up. "How about some ice then?" she asked. Kelly nodded approval and Kris scooped a handful of ice from the bucket on the table, carefully wrapped a hand towel around a few cubes and brought the cold compress to her friend.

"Thanks." Kelly whispered. She pressed the cold towel against the large bruise on her head and closed her eyes.

"You need anything else?" Kris asked helpfully.

Kelly opened her eyes and smiled gently. "No. Thanks, kiddo."

The two girls sat quietly, watching Sabrina sleep for a few moments before Kelly's head cleared enough to focus on something other than her headache.

"Hey." she started. "Your sister's medicine knocked me out before I got the chance to thank you for what you did."

Kris smiled and looked away, blushing slightly.

"No, really!" Kelly continued. "You really bailed us out of that mess. Jill must be teaching you a lot."

"Thanks." Kris said shyly.

She stared at Kelly thoughtfully for a few seconds as the beginnings of an idea formed in her head. Her sister's best friend was quiet, trustworthy and sensible. She had been trying to talk to Jill for the past few days but couldn't seem to work up enough nerve. Telling Kelly instead would both give her a chance to practice her delivery and hopefully lighten the burden she felt she had been carrying for the past few months.

She wracked her mind, searching desperately for the right words. Surely, there was a way to go about this.

Taking notice of the sudden distant, preoccupied look in her friend's eyes, Kelly tilted her head in confusion. "Is someth-"

"Kelly, I'm in the police academy!" Kris blurted out abruptly. Her eyes flew open in horror at her subtle as a train wreck announcement and she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.

That was not at all what she had in mind! Thank God it was Kelly and not Jill sitting in front of her.

Kelly gave a little laugh. "Yeah, I bet it sure feels like it." she remarked casually.

She didn't understand.

"No." Kris started, feeling flustered and anxious. The words she had started to prepare left her without warning, leaving her grappling blindly in the dark. "No, Kelly, I- I really am in the police academy."

"Police academy?" Kelly echoed, a smile still on her face. "No you're not. You're in college."

"I dropped out last semester. I didn't tell Jill, I just dropped out." Kris explained hurriedly, her words getting more and more run together. "I meant to tell her, I swear I did, but I just kept putting it off and now-and now it's been two months and she still doesn't know."

Kelly stared at her. The smile remained on her face, though now it was unsure, as if she expected at any moment for Kris to laugh and reveal that she was joking.

Unable to tolerate her silence, Kris continued rambling about everything that came to mind, anything to fill the silence.

"I don't know how to tell her, Kelly, I should have told her right away, but I thought she would get mad and stop sending me money and I hated to lie to her but I wouldn't have been able to pay for the academy if I hadn't! Oh, Kelly, what do I say to her?"

Her friend continued staring at her mutely, her eyebrows raised in shock, the smile looking out of place now.

Kris sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I haven't told my mother either. They both think I'm going to be a teacher and they keep getting me school supplies and notebooks for my future classroom and I wish I had just said something and- oh my God Kelly if you don't say something soon I'm going to lose my mind! Please say something!"

Kelly's face had taken on an mixed expression of shock and amusement. She opened her mouth to answer and then closed it and shook her head, too floored to speak.

"Kelly! Say something!" Kris pleaded, grabbing her arm. An agonizingly silent few moments passed by before Kelly was able to respond.

"Wow."

Kris groaned. "Say something more than that!"

Kelly laughed and looked back up at her friend. "I don't know what to say. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Positive. I want to help people, I want to fight crime, I want to get bad people off the street."

Kelly grinned widely at her. "Teachers do that. They just can't carry a gun." Her expression suddenly became serious and she leaned forward.

"You know it's not as great as it looks, right?" she said quietly. "There's a reason why the three of us left the force. They won't treat you fairly. Or if they do, it could be dangerous. You know that, right?"

Kris nodded her head. "I do, Kelly. Trust me, I thought a lot about it. I really want to do this."

Kelly remained silent and somber, studying her intently. Kris shifted slightly under her hard stare, feeling analyzed and fearing the rejection that she had dreaded the most. Finally, to her relief, Kelly's lips curved into a smile.

"Then I'm proud of you, Kris. Congratulations."

Overjoyed and beyond relieved, Kris grinned happily and threw her arms around her friend's neck in gratitude. "Thanks, Kelly." she whispered.

"But you need to tell Jill soon. Especially now that I know." Kelly giggled. "Or else she'll beat me to death with her crutches for not telling her. Or you know, bite me and give me rabies."

Kris laughed and pulled away from her friend, feeling remarkably better. "I will, I promise. I just have to find the right moment."

"Just make sure that moment is before your graduation."

"Who's graduating?"

Kris and Kelly turned toward the sleepy voice and smiled at Sabrina propped up on her good elbow in bed. Her eyes were half closed and her hair sticking up comically and matted over her eyes. The two girls giggled at their usually fastidious friends appearance.

Sabrina combed her hair out of her face with her fingers and looked over at her two friends. "What?" she croaked. "Who graduated? Kris, you graduated already?"

"Not exactly." Kris answered evasively. She purposely avoided Kelly's eyes, knowing that her friend was brimming with excitement and wanted to tell Sabrina immediately. Kelly was tapping her shoulder now, but she chose to ignore her. Maybe this was a bad idea. She had forgotten how excitable Kelly could get.

"You alright, Bri?" she asked. Kelly stopped bothering her and turned to hear the answer.

Sabrina buried her face in her pillow and groaned. "Somebody kill me." her muffled voice begged into the pillow.

"How's your arm?" Kelly asked.

Sabrina raised her head slightly. "It hurts, Kell." she muttered. "Everything hurts. I got in a car wreck, a whack job shot my living room to hell, and Jill poisoned us."

Kelly gave her a sympathetic look. "Sorry, stupid question. Can I do anything?" she asked.

Seeing an opportunity, Sabrina gave her a weak smile and nodded her head. "Since you're asking, you can drop your revenge against me for pulling that stunt in the graveyard. Or just get it over with. Seriously, I haven't been able to sleep for days."

Kelly's eyes widened. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I forgot all about that. Thanks for reminding me!"

Sabrina blinked her eyes and shot Kris a look of complete disbelief. "You forgot?" she choked. "This whole time and you for- Are you still going to get me?"

Her best friend's broad grin answered the question for her. Sabrina groaned and pulled the covers over her head.

Still giggling, Kris crossed the room to sit down on Sabrina's bed. "Jill will be back with something to eat in a few minutes. She said for you to stay in bed. Really, do you need anything?"

Sabrina shook her head into her pillow and sighed.

"Kris!" Kelly sighed in exasperation. "C'mon! She should know too!"

One brown eye peeked up curiously at Kelly. "I should know what?"

"I can't tell you." Kelly answered quickly. "Kris has to tell you. Kris, tell her."

Pulling away from the pillow, Sabrina turned to face her younger friend, who was currently busy looking mortified and mouthing threats at Kelly from across the room.

Sabrina's face broke into a wide grin. "Kris, are you getting married?" she asked excitedly.

Kris didn't answer, but there was no need.

"No, she's not getting married!" Kelly answered for her "She's in the police academy! She wants to be a cop!"

Kris stared at her in open mouthed disbelief, before grabbing up one of Sabrina's pillows and flinging it at her.

"You don't tell me when your birthday is for two years but you can't keep this quiet for five minutes?" she accused, both relieved and irritated at having one less person to break it to.

"Sorry, Kris." Kelly said, grinning ear to ear. "You were gonna tell her too, weren't you?"

Despite the urge to smack her, Kris smiled. "Yeah, yeah I was."

"Well, that's fantastic, Kris." Sabrina beamed. "I'm proud of you and I bet Jill is too."

"Thanks, Bri." Kris answered modestly.

Sabrina continued grinning. "Jill has no idea, does she?"

"Not a clue."

Sabrina whistled and laid her head back down on her pillow. "You gotta tell her, Kris. The longer you wait, the more likely she'll be to get mad." she said softly. "And if you don't tell her by the end of the week then she can never know that you told us first. She'd kill us."

"Kill us dead." Kelly agreed solemnly.

The three girls turned as keys jingled outside of their door. Jill swung it open a second later and hopped inside, fumbling with large paper bags in one arm.

Kris popped up immediately to help her.

"Oh, Jill." she sighed, taking up the bags. "You could have called and asked me to come help you."

Jill grinned and relaxed her arms. "I could have." she agreed simply. "But what would be the fun- Hey! You two are up!"

Kelly and Sabrina waved at her from their spots. Getting up was out of the question right now.

Her energy level raised and previous thoughts forgotten, Jill flounced over and gave them both a quick hug before hopping onto Sabrina's bed. "How are you two feeling?" she asked, patting Sabrina's back.

Both girls grumbled a reply.

Jill grinned. "That great, huh?" she said sympathetically. "Well, sit up. I brought us some sandwiches."

Both girls groaned and turned away.

Jill shot them a stern look. "Oh, don't give me that. You need to eat."

Kelly and Sabrina wearily raised their heads, shared a defeated look and sighed.

Sometimes there was just no arguing with her.

Two hours later, the girls had eaten dinner and Kris and Jill were lounging restlessly, while Kelly and Sabrina, having just taken their own medication, dozed peacefully in bed. Night had fallen and the only light in the little motel room was the soft flickering glow of the television. Kris and Jill sat quietly in front of it, leaning forward to hear the news program at the low volume they had set it on.

"Kris, you look nervous." Jill said quietly, her eyes still on the news.

Kris jumped slightly at her sister's unexpected acknowledgement. Jill was very perceptive and as usual, she was correct. Kris was nervous. She had been trying to think of a way to bring up the police academy to her sister for the past fifteen minutes and had so far been unable to.

"Don't worry, Kris." Jill said, though she hadn't gotten an answer. "We'll just take it easy tonight, let Kelly and Bri rest. Tomorrow the police will have gotten some information out of Laura and we can help them find those guys, ok? Just try not to worry."

Kris sighed. Jill's perception was accurate, though misplaced at the moment. But why let on just yet? When this was all over. That's when she'd tell her, she decided. Why add any stress to her sister's plate right now.

"Ok, Jill." Kris answered softly. "I'll try."

Jill smiled at her. "Good." She patted her sister on the back and then stood up and yawned.

"Well, I didn't see anything else on the news about Gary or Laura. I'm gonna give the police a call. Why don't you get ready for bed? You look like you could use some sleep."

"Jill, we slept all day." Kris pointed out with a faint grin.

Jill shrugged. "Then we can finally fix our sleep schedules. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being nocturnal." She grinned and then grabbed up the phone, leaving Kris to go into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Kris dug her toothbrush out of her bag and shuffled off into the bathroom to brush her teeth. The rush of water from the faucet quickly drowned out the faint sound of her sister's voice on the phone while she went about her nightly routine. A few minutes later, her teeth brushed and her face washed, Kris squeaked the gushing water off and hurriedly pressed a towel to her wet face.

Without the running water, Jill's voice drifted back to her attention. Only now, her tone was much different. A sudden wave of dread washed over Kris when Kelly and Sabrina's voices both join her sister's.

She tossed the towel down and hurried out of the bathroom. The feeling of dread increased the second she did.

Jill was standing beside Sabrina's bed, Kelly and Sabrina were both awake and sitting up, and all three girls looked tense and angry.

"What's wrong?" Kris asked anxiously.

The three girls looked up at her, their expressions dark and outraged.

"Laura's gone." Sabrina said quietly. "Got away from that young cop last night before we even left my apartment."

Kris felt her eyebrows involuntarily raise with surprise. "What?" she sputtered. "She's a nineteen year old girl, how-?"

"We don't know." Jill said flatly.

"But she's gone." Kelly added bitterly. "Probably with Gary by now."

Kris swallowed and weakly sank down onto Kelly's bed. "So now what?"

Sabrina sighed and rubbed her face in frustration. She was sore, tired, and obviously fighting very hard to keep her anger under control.

"So now, they'll probably come back for us. I can't see Gary letting go that easily." she said simply. "Only this time, we're not going to wait for it."

Kris stared at her, waiting for clarification.

"They've been stalking us for days." Kelly explained, her anger even more evident than Sabrina's. "Now we're going to stalk us."

Kris furrowed her brows in confusion. "We're going to stalk us?"

"He's lurking around our houses, our work, so we're going to do the same. Only at a farther distance." Sabrina explained. "If he's trying to find us, we'll be sure that he does."

"Only we won't be where he thinks we'll be." Jill added.

Kris nodded her head, still stunned by the news.

"They're probably regrouping tonight." Sabrina mused. "Tomorrow, I have a feeling they'll be back to their old tricks. So tomorrow, we're going hunting."

Kelly, Jill, and Kris nodded their whole hearted agreement. They were all done feeling like bait.

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Put them on."

"It's night, stupid."

"Just put the goddamn sunglasses on!"

"Why? I'm not Clark Kent. They aren't gonna disguise me."

"It'll help."

"Oh, fuck off."

With that, Gary slammed the car door shut and jogged across the parking lot into the run down little convenience store, leaving Murph inside still holding out a pair of large, dark, sunglasses.

Murph cursed loudly to himself and angrily flung the glasses against the passenger window. A small piece of jagged black plastic bounced back at him as if mocking his temper. He picked it up and sighed in frustation, realizing he had just broken his only pair of shades. Feeling defeated and helpless, he flicked the offending piece of plast away,laid his head down against the steering wheel and let out a slow, calming breath.

They were screwed.

Absolutely, royally screwed and something was horribly wrong in Gary's brain for him not to realize this.

Murph picked his head up and turned to look through the big glass window of the convenience store. Gary was visible for a few seconds, milling about, flirting with a middle aged woman as he picked out who knew what for them to eat. He looked away, very much resenting his friend's casual behavior. Not for the first time that night, his thoughts drifted to Emmitt.

Emmitt, who was in the hospital with a bullet wound, more than likely headed for a nice, long stay in prison.

The lucky son of a bitch.

Murph groaned to himself, feeling the agonizing pangs of regret that had been plaguing him more and more each day. If only he had gone after the girl in the blue and white shirt instead of her friend. Then it could be him lying in a hospital bed with a hole in his chest. Then it could all be over.

Hell, if he was regretting decisions, might as well regret answering the phone when Gary called him that night. That was the stupid decision that started the ball rolling.

But what was done was done.

He sighed and reached over to pick the pieces of broken glasses out of Gary's seat. Why he was being courteous to him, he had no idea. Old habit, he guessed dismally.

Gary was either going to kill him in a rage or get him killed if they weren't caught soon. Going to jail seemed a welcome relief now. His nerves were frazzled, he hardly slept nights, his stomach hurt constantly, and he walked on eggshells around his best friend, never knowing when he would set off his explosive temper.

Gary's voice was hoarse today from raging on and on about their failed attack the night before. He had all but murdered those five girls with his words and without a doubt, when he finally did get his hands on them, their deaths would be savage and brutal. Murph sighed. He had tried so very hard to dissuade him last night. But several strong drinks, a battered car, and an even more battered ego had sent Gary into a violent frenzy.

When the girls had fought back, he had almost been happy. He kept the tall brunette from killing Gary and prayed that the police would come soon.

They had been so close to just being caught and ending it all right there. So very close.

Now, who knew how long Gary would drag this out. All attempts to get him to turn himself in or at least run away to Mexico fell on deaf ears. Gary would have none of it and vehemently refused to leave the girls alone. They had ditched Gary's beloved old Chevy and stolen a black Buick Regal from an impound lot. Until somebody missed it, the crime would go unpunished.

It was baffling how much they were getting away with. Almost unfair. And instead of quitting while they were ahead, they continued to stupidly push their luck.

Murph shook his head. He didn't even want to hurt the girls anymore. It was pointless now. The only reason he had been so willing to go after them was to keep them from revealing their crimes to the police. Panic had turned him into a killer once before to stop them, and every time he thought about it, it made him physically ill. He would have done anything to keep those girls from talking.

The situation had changed however. The girls had already gone to the police. It was very much clear now that everything they had done was now out in the open. Police were searching for Gary's red Chevy and would hunt them down sooner or later. Running was the only way out. Running far away, dropping everything, forgetting about revenge, and running away forever.

And oh, how he wanted to. How he longed for escape with every fiber of his being.

It wouldn't be long now. The wall of false security they had built with their seemingly endless supply of luck would come crashing down on their heads any day now.

But it was like all that didn't matter to Gary.

This had become personal to him. His own little vendetta. Those girls, the little blonde especially, had embarrassed him three times and defeat was something Gary never could accept. His determination used to be one of his most admirable traits, but now, mirrored back in his new twisted frame of mind, it was dark, terrifying, and ruthless. Gary wouldn't stop and he was a fool for riding into hell with him.

But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to leave Gary behind. The brotherly loyalty he felt toward his best friend prevented what was the most logical course of action. Left to himself Gary would act too recklessly, get himself killed, hurt so many people.

No, he couldn't leave him. It would be irresponsible. If he could just keep Gary from getting killed until police caught them, then he could get help. Be at peace.

But that might be a foolish dream. Hadn't he proved time and time again that he had no control over his best friend?

The car door opened and Gary plopped himself into the passenger seat, several white plastic bags rustling in his lap. "Didn't even look at me. I told you it'd be fine." he said smugly, rooting through one of the bags. He produced a Snickers bar and tossed it to his friend. "Look, I even got you a Snickers. You're welcome, asshole."

Murph sighed and backed out of the parking lot. Old Gary was back, along with their usual form of crude but playful bantering. But now even Old Gary was not enough to make things better. He grumbled under his breath and flung the Snickers bar back at his friend.

"You like Snickers!" Gary protested.

"I don't want it."

Gary feigned a hurt expression. "Fine." he huffed. His expression suddenly brightened and he dug into another bag. "Here, I got you something else."

Murph sighed in irritation. Gary's playful side could not have come at a worse time. He was not in the mood to laugh and joke like they were just out for a ride to pick up pretty girls.

"I don't want anything else, Gar." he muttered.

"Oh, you want this." Gary insisted seriously. He pulled out a small package wrapped in aluminum foil and held it out with both hands in a manner that suggested it was a holy artifact. "This is the ultimate symbol of my gratitude, bro-."

"Gary-" Murph warned.

"- a gas station hotdog." Gary finished solemnly. "For you."

He reverently layed the warm foil package on Murph's lap and then pulled out another one and tore into it's wrapper. "Take the next exit." he said with his mouth full.

Murph sighed and changed lanes. "Where are we going?" he asked wearily.

Gary's answer was lost in the rest of his hot dog, which he had just shoved in his mouth.

"What?" Murph asked irritably.

Gary rolled his eyes, chewed, and swallowed.

"I said we're going camping." he answered, crumpling the foil in his hands. "Gotta hide out for a little while. We'll get them tomorrow, there's only so many places they can go." He grinned and playfully tossed the wad at his friend. The foil ball bounced off of Murph's head and into the backseat. More than pleased with his aim, Gary burst into laughter and aimed a light punch at his shoulder.

Murph scowled and shoved his friend's arm away from him.

"Quit being an idiot!" he growled.

Gary pulled away and dug out a bag of chips to eat. "What's with you?" he asked defensively.

Murph's temper flared.

"What's with me? What the hell do you think?" he spat angrily.

As if he couldn't possibly fathom, Gary shrugged his shoulders and with a look of bewilderment, pulled open his chips and tossed a handful in his mouth. Murph listened to his crunching for a few minutes. Gary was acting more mellow than he had seen him in days. If there was ever a time to bring this up, now would be it.

"Why are we doing this?" he began wearily. "Gar, I don't want to go to jail either. Let's just go to Mexico. C'mon man, hot girls, margaritas, beaches. What do you say?."

Gary stopped eating and wiped his slightly greasy hands on his pants. For a moment his silence was encouraging, but a quick glance at his face told Murph that he had gravely misinterpreted what he had believed was a thoughtful silence. The dark, threatening look Gary was giving him enough to send an icy chill up and down his spine.

"Say that again." Gary whispered, his voice eerily flat and toneless.

Murph swallowed, searching for a way to soften his words. Somehow make them look more supportive than it had sounded to subdue the clouded fury in his friend's eyes.

"Look, Gary-" he started, his voice quavering slightly. He took a deep breath to remedy the subtle hint of fear. "Why go after those girls? Nothing in it for us to kill them anymore. The cops already know everything. Why get caught for nothing when we can get away clean?"

Gary put on a look of mock amazement.

"The cops know!" he exclaimed, waving his arms frantically in the air, unmindful of his open bag of snacks. Flecks of potato chips scattered through the air, pelting Murph in the face, as he flailed it around. "Oh my God! The cops know!"

Murph flinched and wiped the greasy crumbs off of his face. "Gary, come on, man." he pleaded. "Think about-"

Without warning, Gary's hand shot out towards him, grabbing him forcefully around the shoulder of his t-shirt. The Buick swerved violently to the left, mirroring Murph's involuntary jerk of surprise.

"I'm driving, you asshole!" he yelled shrilly, quickly regaining control of the vehicle.

Gary tightened his grip. "I thought you were in this with me." he hissed.

His heart hammering in his chest, Murph swallowed and tried to push Gary's hand away. It wouldn't budge. A glance toward the passenger seat revealed Gary's blue eyes glittering in the dim moonlight illuminating the car's interior, the familiar face twisted into an expression of pure, burning hatred.

"I am, Gar. I am." Murph said slowly, calmly. Pissing him off further could kill them both. "It's just that I think we're taking unnecessary risks in going them."

Gary laughed, a cold, spine chilling laugh, and released him with a rough shove.

"It's not about the risks. Where's your pride, man?" he chuckled.

"I don't even care, Gary. Just let it go. The cop alr-"

Gary whirled on him in a fury.

"The cop know! I know the cops fucking know!" he roared, his voice high pitched and almost unrecognizable. "It doesn't matter, don't you get it? It's not about that! It's about settling the score! They think they can fuck with me, Murph!"

His tirade was working him up into a frenzy. He began gesturing wildly as he spoke, his arms waving with the increasing tempo of his words until the potato chip bag was completely empty. He slapped his chest with an open palm in indignance.

"With me! And they can't do that! No one can do that to me!"

He twisted the empty chip bag violently in his hands, in a vicious pantomine of strangling the life out of an intended victim. "They think they can. They sit there in their nice expensive apartments and they think they can do whatever they want." he seethed quietly, voice dripping with hate. The bag began to shred under his abuse, little pieces of it hanging from his fist and fluttering to the floor.

"But they can't. No can do that to me. They'll see. They'll all see." he whispered. His face had turned bright red during his rant and now that it was over, he leaned back, wiped his mouth, and took a deep breath.

All of the anger and hate suddenly vanished from his countenance as quickly as it had come and just like that, the car felt safe again. As if someone had opened the windows and let it all blow away with the wind. Gary looked down at the mangled chip bag as if noticing it for the first time and casually tossed it to the floor.

"Hey, pull over. I have to take a leak." he said lightly.

Murph stared at him in shock, too unsettled and disturbed by the rapid mood changes he had just witnessed to answer. He nodded mutely, and pulled the car over in preparation to stop.

Gary was getting more and more unstable and it was only a matter of time until he snapped altogether.

* * *

The following day, the four girls limped out of the motel room and made their way towards Kelly's mustang. Though they had planned on getting to the office earlier, Jill had decided that Kelly and Sabrina deserved to sleep in a little and so it was nearly eleven in the morning by the time the girls piled into the car.

The atmosphere in the yellow mustang was one of strict determination. Bosely had been informed of their plans, and though he knew he couldn't change their minds, thought it best to have Charlie speak to them.

Now sober, Kelly climbed into her rightful place in the driver's seat and immediately discovered herself much too close to the steering wheel. "Wow, I almost shattered my rib cage." she teased. "Kris, were you driving?"

The swat to the back of her headrest told her that her guess was correct. Kelly laughed and adjusted her seat before instinctively reaching for the rearview mirror. Her features twisted in bewilderment when her hand swiped at nothing but air.

"What happened to my mirror?" she blurted out in confusion.

Jill grinned from the passenger seat and held it up.

"You broke it last night." she explained.

Kelly's look of confusion intensified. "I broke it? What?"

"Trying to look at your reflection when you were supposed to be sitting down. So, that's what you get. Drive." Jill answered haughtily. Kris and Sabrina, revisiting a vague memory of Kelly crawing into the front seat and yanking off her mirror, both giggled in the backseat.

Jill held the mirror up and, face flushed with embarassment, Kelly backed out of her motel parking lot and headed back towards the familiar sights and sounds of the city.

Twenty five minutes later, Kelly pulled up by the curb of their office building and before she had even shut off the engine, her passengers were already filing out, more than ready to reverse roles on Gary. She hurried out after them, stopping only to make sure her car was locked. Kelly studied her vehicle and frowned.

It looked lonely on the curb by itself.

Jill and Sabrina's cars were still out of commision and she suddenly realized that hers was the only vehicle left. At least that would make it easier to stick together.

But that wouldn't always be the most advantageous strategy.

She brushed it off and bounded up the three stairs and through the door Sabrina was impatiently holding open for her.

The four girls pushed their way into the office and stopped short.

There would be obstacles to face.

It didn't take three trained detective to see that Bosely would not be standing in their corner on this one. He was frozen in midstep in front of the couch, his eyes widened in horror at the sight of them. It took three failed attempts before he finally spoke.

"Oh no. Absolutely not." he said sternly, bypassing his usual greeting. "You three aren't going anywhere."

The girls exchanged a quick glance. Did they look that bad?

"Come on, Bos-" Sabrina started.

Bosely cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Come in and sit down." he ordered, gesturing them over urgently. "Sit, sit, sit." When the four didn't move fast enough for his taste, he hurried forward and shooed them towards the two plush couches, where they grudgingly took a seat.

"Are you alright?" he asked, running a hand over his slicked back hair. The concern in his voice was mixed with irritation and shock and although the girls were touched, it was also a bit patronizing.

"Bos, we're fine." Kelly sighed. "They let us out of the hospital."

Bosely looked incensed.

"Last night!" he countered, his voice loud and almost shrill. "They let you out not twenty four hours ago! To rest!" He shook his head and began pacing in front of them.

Sabrina sighed and rubbed her temples. "Bosely, take it easy ok?"

"Oh no!" he laughed derisively. "Don't tell me that! You should be the ones taking it easy!"

The girls groaned and shared an annoyed look. This wasn't going as planned.

A man cleared his throat, startling all four of them.

"Bosely, I take it the angels are not fit for duty right now?" Charlie's cultured baritone called from the squawk box.

"Not at all, Charlie." Bosely answered back.

Kelly, Jill, and Sabrina shared another look and rolled their eyes. Sometimes a little notice beforehand would be nice. Their boss wasn't even in the room and still he managed to sneak up on them.

"Hi, Charlie." they sighed in unison.

Kris quirked her eyebrows and watched the odd exchange, both amused and fascinated. She had been a bit excited to meet her sister's often talked about boss and was slightly disappointed to see that he wasn't here in person. She had never heard of having an important meeting over an intercom.

But Jill, Kelly, and Sabrina seemed just as normal and at ease as they would be if Charlie was sitting in front of him, so she neutralized her puzzled expression and leaned back to imitate Jill's relaxed posture.

"Hello, angels." Charlie greeted them belatedly. "I hear you've had a rough few days since we last spoke."

Sabrina looked down at her sling and smirked. "You could say that, Charlie."

"What's this I hear about about you girls staging an offensive?"

"We're tired of waiting around, Charlie." Jill cut in. "He's still following us around, we can find him."

Bosely coughed loudly and deliberately. If a subtle message to Charlie was his goal than he failed. The girls shot him a weary look and then fixed their attention back to squawk box.

"Do you three think you're really up to the task?" Charlie asked. "All three are you are injured."

"We're ok, Charlie!" Kelly insisted.

"Angels, the police are already looking for the two men and Laura Jacobi." Charlie said after a moment. His voice had taken on a stern tone and the girls hearts sank with the realization that they wouldn't have Charlie's support either. "They have the description of the car that ran Kelly and Sabrina off the road as well as a file on Gary Moore and Brian Murphy-"

"Charlie, we can't just sit and do nothing!" Jill whined, throwing up her hands in frustration. But, Charlie talked over her disruption.

"- and ordinarily, you three would be invaluable help to the L.A.P.D., but I'm sorry, Jill. Right now that's exactly what I would like you three to do. Nothing."

Jill muttered under her breath and looked moodily at her feet.

"A wise decision, Charlie." Bosely chimed in, looking pleased with himself. The girls glared at him, though it went unnoticed.

Charlie gave a slight chuckle. "Don't be upset for getting benched on this one, angels." he warned gently. "Consider it a few days on the injured list. You three aren't up to it and you need to take some time to rest and recover. The police will take care of it."

Kelly scoffed. "Charlie, we're fine! A few bumps and bruises but we're fine!"

Charlie was silent for a few seconds.

"Bosely?"

Bosely stepped forward and cleared his throat. "They're not fine, Charlie. You should see them."

Jill flung a sofa cushion at him which he irritatingly did not react to.

"Then relax, angels." Charlie said calmly. "Stick together and keep a low profile until these people are caught. It won't be much longer, I'm certain."

"Alright, Charlie." Jill relented with a soft sigh.

Charlie chuckled deeply at her disappointment. "Think of it as reclaiming the vacation you got stolen from you." he said wisely.

"Will do, Charlie." Sabrina said, her tone just a notch below Jill's in disappointment.

"Then take it easy, get some rest, and we'll regroup after everything calms down." Charlie replied. "I mean it, angels, take it slow. I would hate for you to get hurt."

"Ok, Charlie." Kelly sighed. "But we don't like it."

Charlie laughed again. "Duly noted, Kelly. Oh, Bosely, now would be an excellent time to catch up on all that paperwork you've been talking about."

Bosely suddenly looked nauseous.

"Yeah, good idea, Charlie." he answered gloomily. "I'll get right on it."

"Thank you, Bosely." Charlie said cheerfully. "Alright, now that everything is settled, I'll be in touch. Anything that happens, you'll know immediately after I do. Take care, angels."

"Bye, Charlie." the girls chorused drearily. Kris jumped, feeling as if she was an unprepared student in class. But it was too late for her to join in without drawing too much attention to herself, so she remained silent.

Bosely clicked the speaker off and turned to the girls with a triumphant grin on his face. "Well, that's that!" he said happily, rubbing his hands together.

"Thanks a lot, Bos!" Kelly called out sarcastically. Sabrina and Jill grumbled their dissent as well, leaving Bosely looking slightly wounded.

"I'm just looking out for you girls." he said defensively. The girls muttered under their breath and looked away. Bosely looked hurt. "Come on, it's for your own good." he pressed. "You have to admit you three aren't in any condition to be out running around."

The girls sighed and shrugged in grudging acceptance of this fact.

Bosely smiled at them fondly. "Now, go on back to your room and get some sleep." he chided gently. "The four of you look exhausted."

"We slept all night." Jill mumbled.

"You don't look it." Bosely countered. He smiled to take the edge off of his choice of words. "Look, girls, either go back to your motel and sleep, sleep here on the couches, or sleep in shifts and help me with paperwork. It's up to you."

The girls finally broke into reluctant smiles and slowly pushed themselves to their feet.

"Thanks for caring, Bos." Sabrina sighed. There was no sarcasm or resentment in her tone and Bosely grinned back at her. She gave him a one armed hug which he returned with a soft chuckle.

"I've invested so much time in you three, it would be shame to have to replace you." he joked.

Sabrina grinned. "Hey, we brought Kris. She's seen enough this week that she could probably do the job."

The girls laughed and the group began to drift towards the door. "Sure you don't want to help me with paperwork?" Bosely asked, though he already knew the answer.

Jill looked mortified. "While we're supposed to be resting?" she gasped. "Shame on you, Bosely!" She flashed him a gleaming white smile and blew him a kiss. Bosely nodded his head in defeated acceptance. "I thought that much. I brought my lunch so I'll be here until about seven or eight tonight. Call if you need anything. Be careful, girls."

The girls crowded into the hallway and waved their goodbyes once more before turning to walk outside. Just as Bosely was about to close the office door, Kelly came skipping back up on a whim and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thanks again for caring so much about us, Bosely." she said warmly. "It's so nice for a girl to know someone's looking out for her."

Bosely blushed slightly, both taken aback by the uncharacteristic affection Kelly was giving him and her genuinely heartfelt words. He patted her back awkwardly. "You're welcome, honey. Go get some rest."

Kelly smiled brightly at him and then gave him a peck on the cheek. "Will do, Bos. Enjoy the paperwork."

He raised an eyebrow at her and without another word, pushed the door closed. Still grinning, Kelly turned and joined her three friends a few feet away.

"Couldn't tear yourself away?" Sabrina laughed. She turned and motioned toward the door, her eyes shining with adrenaline. The moment the group was outside, she waved them over into a huddle. A light bulb suddenly lit up in Kris's head as they crowded around Sabrina. She might not be a detective like her friends, but she could certainly detect a mutiny in the process.

No wonder they had all of a sudden become so agreeable.

"Ok, so I say we split up." Sabrina started in a hushed whisper. "Two of us go stake out Kelly's place and two stake out Jill's. Gary is watching his back for cops, but I doubt he'll be watching his back for us."

Jill frowned. "We'll need to rent another car with a phone first."

"No need." Kelly said slyly.

Her companions looked confused.

"Kell, we only have your's. Mine and Jill's are cracked up." Sabrina pointed out.

"Oh, we have two cars now." Kelly insisted. She broke out into a broad mischievous grin.

"I lifted Bosely's car keys."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Cop…..cop…..cop…cop."

Gary lowered the binoculars and let out an arrogant laugh as the two men drove leisurely through the quiet suburban neighborhood. "You can spot them a mile away, it's like they're not even trying." he snickered. He tapped his window lightly and jerked his head at the well dressed man getting out of a sleek black Ford. "Cop." he mouthed to Murph.

Murph scoffed and snatched the binoculars away from his friend. "That one's not a cop, he's selling something." he argued.

Gary laughed. "With a German Shephard in the front seat?"

He rolled their Buick Regal slowly past the man in question, confirming that there was indeed a large wolfish dog in the front seat. Murph groaned and sunk lower, unconsciously trying to hide.

"Jesus, they're everywhere." he whispered nervously. "This is suicide, man."

Gary grinned at him. "No, it's homicide." he replied in a patronizing tone.

His friend's callous wit gave him a chill, but Murph disguised it with an annoyed groan. "We're never going to get to them with all these cops around." he sighed. "They probably aren't even here, they're probably hiding out somewhere."

"I know that." Gary snapped irritably. "We're just starting here. We'll catch a break sooner or later."

Murph cursed softly under his breath, nervous and brimming with resentment for his best friend. "What the hell are you waiting for to happen." he asked wearily. "You think they'll come running back to their houses for a change of clothes? They know you're looking for them."

As usual, Gary dismissed all logic.

"Just shut up and keep an eye out for them. We'll catch our break."

* * *

Kelly's mustang turned left at a stop sign, completing yet another circuit of the beach area surrounding Jill's waterfront home. By this time, the two girls couldn't even venture a guess as to how many round trips they had taken around the beach. Even Sabrina, with all her compulsiveness, had stopped counting after fifteen.

It was nearly three in the afternoon now, and Kelly, along with Sabrina, had been combing the area for hours, looking for any trace of Gary or his damaged, faded red Chevy Malibu. So far they had run across very little in the way of luck.

"There sure are a lot of cops." Sabrina mused softly, staring out the window.

Kelly sighed. "Yeah, yeah there are." she responded. "I don't think Gary is stupid enough to be anywhere near here."

"Oh, he will." Sabrina countered quickly. "If stealth was his game, then he wouldn't have come barging in like Clint Eastwood and shot up my living room." She shook her head thoughtfully and took a sip of watery cola, leftover from a much needed lunch stop an hour ago. "Naw, he's not thinking strategy." she said quietly. "He wants to find us and kill us. And if step one and two happen to be in broad daylight surrounded by twenty cops, I don't think that will stop him."

Kelly nodded her head in agreement and the two girls rode in silence for a few more minutes. As they began their next circuit, Kelly sighed in frustration.

"I don't see any car or person that looks suspicious." she said irritably. "We are probably the most suspicious car on the beach. I'm surprised the police haven't stopped us."

Sabrina smiled. "Why? Your car is yellow. We blend right in."

Kelly cast a sideways glare at her. "Yours is orange." she shot back dryly. "And broken. So don't poke fun."

"Me? Poke fun?" Sabrina asked innocently, raising her hands in surrender. "Never."

Kelly narrowed her eyes and aimed a playful elbow at her friend's ribs, but Sabrina only laughed and batted her away. The two sat in companionable silence for a few more moments until Sabrina started to giggle for no reason.

"What?" Kelly asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Sabrina turned to her, a silly grin on her face. "Orange, yellow, and white?" she laughed. "Did Charlie pick our cars out of a fall catalog?"

Kelly groaned and shook her head, though she couldn't completely stave off laughter. "There's too much in your head for you to be normal." she giggled.

Sabrina grinned proudly, having taken the comment as a compliment, and resumed her watch out the window.

"More in your head than in my gas tank." Kelly said dryly. "I'm gonna have to pull over and get gas before we're stranded out here."

"Alright." Sabrina said, stifling a bored yawn. "We might as well call Jill after that and see if she has anything. If he's not here, then that's a bigger chance he'll be lurking around your place."

Kelly nodded. "It was bad enough the first time he lurked." she muttered to herself, pulling the car off the main street and towards a gas station. They had been circling so many times, veering to the left instead of the right felt wrong, and she had to remind herself not to correct it.

The girls pulled into a busy and crowded gas station and were forced to wait a few minutes before Kelly was able to get out and start refueling her car. While she did, Sabrina scrounged up a few bills from her and Kelly's purses and went inside to both pay for the gas and find something more appealing than watered down cola for them to drink. She returned a few minutes later clutching two glass bottles of juice and a fistful of loose change in her hands, just as Kelly was getting back into her car.

"Perfect timing! Here you go." she said brightly, thrusting one of the cold, perspiring bottles at her friend. Kelly took it gratefully and whispered a quick thanks before she popped it open and took a few swallows.

"Let's do one more round and then call Jill." Sabrina said. "If neither of us are having luck, then we should go by mine or Laura's places."

Kelly laughed dismally as she started the car. "She'd have called if she had anything. Besides, how could her luck be any worse than ours?."

* * *

The car phone rang in Bosely's dark blue Thunderbird, the unfamiliar jangle pulling a surprised shriek from Jill's mouth. She swore under her breath and picked it up.

"Jill Munroe." she answered quickly.

"Jill!" the familiar voice on the other line called. "It's Sabrina."

Jill smiled, wondering why her best friend felt the need to identify herself. "Yeah, Bri. What's up?"

"Nothing. Great big nothing. You got anything?"

"A headache from going around in circles." Jill quipped dryly. "Nothing else."

She heard Sabrina pull away to report this news to Kelly and then clear her throat. "Listen, maybe we should regroup back at the motel, take Kris some lunch, and then go check out mine and Laura's places."

Jill heaved a weary sigh. "Right. Sounds good, Bri. Meet you there in twenty."

Sabrina hung up and feeling frustrated and unaccomplished, Jill made the first left she could and began to navigate her way back to the main street. She was tired, hungry, and her knee had long since become a nuisance, a whiny extra passenger demanding constant attention.

At the next stop sign, she pressed the brake with her left foot and winced as she shook out her injured leg. There was nobody behind her, so she took the opportunity to give her knee a quick break from the on and off pressure she was putting it through. Kelly and Sabrina hadn't wanted her to drive, but she had stubbornly insisted she could. They had been babying and worrying about her all week and it was high time she proved herself useful.

Luckily, she was never one to be afraid of the bitter taste of her own words. When she got back to the motel it would definitely be time for another pill. And probably time to switch places with Sabrina.

A light beep behind her called attention to a station wagon that had appeared in her rear view window. Break time was over. She waved a quick apology to the wagon and then rolled forward as slowly as she could to spare her knee from any unnecessary discomfort.

Jill sighed to herself. She had been patrolling Kelly's neighborhood for hours now with absolutely no luck. There were police cars, both marked and unmarked, all around, but no sign of either the two men or Laura. They were still hiding out or busy stalking them elsewhere, but as far as she knew, they weren't here.

A dead end up ahead made Jill groan and unleash a few more uttered curses. Kelly's neighborhood was irritatingly easy to get lost in. Still grumbling to herself, she pulled into the closest driveway she could to make a quick turn around, all the while cursing Bosely's long Thunderbird for having a far inferior turn radius than her beloved Cobra. It took a few tries to back out of the driveway without hitting any of the cars parked nearby, but she managed. Bosely's car was long, cumbersome and slow, Jill thought to herself. How did he drive this damn thing?

Her crutches maneuvered better.

She again paused at the stop sign and looked around to get her bearings. A right turn would take her out of the neighborhood and another right would get her going in the direction of the motel. As she mentally routed her trip, a black Buick Regal passed by her, but being lost in thought, she paid no attention to it.

It would prove to be a costly oversight.

Vowing to pay more attention to the street signs the next time she was at Kelly's, she turned at the stop sign, waited for the Buick to pull into a driveway and out of her way, and then headed down the street.

The black car pulled back out and followed her at a distance.

Aware of it, but unaware of it's mission, Jill turned onto the main street and grabbed up the phone. She quickly dialed the motel room number and then waited impatiently for her sister to answer. If Kris didn't hurry up all the good food places would be passed and her little sister would have to settle for whatever kind of food they sold in that creepy fast food joint with the big clown head abomination on it's roof.

Luckily for Kris, she answered on the second ring and the mystery surrounding the creepy clown restaurant remained.

"Hello?"

Jill smiled at the sound of her sister's voice. She sounded cranky. "Hey Kris, I'm on my way back and I thought I'd pick up some lunch for you." she sang cheerfully into the phone. "What do you want?"

Kris heaved an irritated sigh. "Are you guys ok?"

"Yes, Kris. What do you want for lunch? I just passed the sandwich place so that's out. Better hurry."

Kris muttered to herself before answering, and Jill tried not to laugh. Poor kid, she would definitely have to make this up to her.

"Whatever Jill. I don't care." Kris sighed.

"Anything?" Jill teased.

"Anything but the clown place."

Jill giggled to herself, pleased that she had gotten her cranky sister to specify. "Ok, I'll be there in twenty minutes, alright?"

"Ok." Kris said meekly. Her tone made the word linger, as if there was something else she wanted to say. Jill picked up on it immediately.

"Ok?" Jill pressed. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Jill. Just hurry, I need to talk to you."

Jill smiled. "Twenty minutes, kiddo."

"Thanks. See ya." Kris whispered, before hanging up.

Jill furrowed her eyebrows and placed the phone down. It irritatingly didn't settle back into it's place and Jill heaved a frustrated sigh and fumbled with it until it wedged in.

Even the phone on Bosely's car was annoying.

She pulled into a hamburger restaurant, placed an order for her sister and then settled back to wait. Now that she really thought about it, Kris had been acting a little strangely. And it wasn't just their foiled camping trip and stressful week. She had been nervous and jumpy for no reason since she arrived last Thursday. There had been several times she caught Kris staring at her for no reason the exact same way she did when she was a little girl waiting to share a secret. Did Kris have a secret?

Was she getting married?

It was entirely possible, Jill thought to herself. And the thought didn't bother her. Boys loved her little sister and she dated constantly. Kris was also lightyears ahead in maturity than she had been at her age. It had taken the police academy to straighten her out and make her grow up. No, there was no doubt that Kris was ready for this. Who was the lucky guy?

Jill suddenly burst out laughing and rolled her eyes. Here she was getting ahead of herself.

Then another thought began to tug at her. What if Kris had bad news?

All the previous giddiness zapped out of her, Jill drummed her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel and waited for her order to come out. Whatever Kris had to tell her she'd find out as soon as she got back. The food came a few minutes later and Jill plopped the paper back in the front seat, payed her teenage server and merged her car back into traffic as fast as she could.

The black Regal pulled out right behind her.

Caught up in worrying about her sister, Jill paid no attention to her distant tail and unintentionally led it out of the city limits and to the motel that they had been staying at.

The Buick passed by the motel entrance, went several hundred yards ahead and then circled back.

While it did, Jill backed into the closest parking spot to their door, again cursing the length and clunkiness of Bosely's vehicle. It was bad enough to pull out with this stupid thing. Might as well make it easier on whoever drove it back to the office. A noble sacrifice on her part, she thought to herself.

The car backed in as good as it was going to be, Jill shut off the engine, grabbed Kris's lunch and hopped out. The curtain on their motel window swayed, catching her attention and she was able to see a quick glimpse of a hand slipping out of sight.

She smiled to herself. At least there was a reason for her sister's paranoia. A second later Kris swung open the door and stepped outside.

"I didn't recognize the car right away." she said with a nervous smile. "I got a little spooked."

Jill laughed and patted the car's trunk. "You didn't recognize this classic?" she giggled. "Kris, you don't know luxury when you see it."

Her sister's antics, as usual, made her laugh and feeling more at ease, Kris skipped up to join her sister by the trunk of the car and began to paw at the brown paper sack.

"What'd you bring me?" she asked, feigning childlike amazement.

Jill giggled again and ruffled her hair. "A burger and fries. Thought you deserved a treat."

"What? For being stuck in there all day while the big kids were out working?" Kris joked. Jill grinned and playfully thrust the bag into her stomach and then turned her attention to her keys. Her smile slowly fading into a look of nervous contemplation, Kris cleared her throat and toyed with the paper sack in her hands. Now or never.

But her sister cut her off before she could start.

"I got a little grease on Bosely's front seat." Jill mumbled to herself, fumbling with the unfamiliar keys. "I need to clean it up or else he'll talk Charlie in firing me." She keyed open the trunk, popped it up, and began rooting around in its depths. "I bet he keeps a towel in here, he's pretty clean."

Kris sighed loudly. "Jill-"

"I know. You want to tell me something." Jill said, pulling herself out of the trunk and taking Kris's hand anxiously. "Are you ok? It's nothing bad is it?"

Kris gave her a weak smile. "No, Jill. It's- it's good. I think."

Jill sighed in relief, the tension that had accumulated in her shouders over the drive slipping away. The two sisters looked at each other in front of the open trunk for a moment while Kris tried to figure out how to begin.

"What is it, Kris?" Jill urged.

Kris nervously crumpled the handful of paper sack she was holding and shuffled her feet back and forth in front of her. The dialogue she had prepared beforehand predictably fluttered away and settled out of reach.

Go figure.

"Well- it's- um-" Kris stammered nervously.

False realization flashed across her sister's face. "Oh my God, you're pregnant." Jill blurted out suddenly.

Kris's eyes widened. "No!" she choked. "No, it's not that!"

"Then what is it?" Jill asked anxiously.

Kris exhaled loudly and straightened, trying to look as adult like as possible.

"Jill." she started evenly. "I'm in the-"

The sudden screeching of tires drowed out the revealing part of her sentence. Both sister's whipped their heads around, startled by the sudden and close proximity of the grating noise. Before the black Buick skidded to a halt, one of the doors flew open and Gary stumbled out, tripping over the sudden contact with asphalt and looking every bit the unbalanced, vengeful madman that he was.

Jill's mouth dropped open in horror. How? Had he followed her? How could she have let that happen?

"Kris, run inside and lock the door, I'll keep him busy!" Jill whispered urgently.

"No!" Kris whispered back. "He'll kill you. I'm staying right here!"

Jill locked eyes with her little sister. There was no time to argue. Gary was quickly approaching, was probably armed, and would kill them both without hesitation.

And there was no way she would let Kris lose her life trying to protect her.

"Don't move!" Gary bellowed. "Don't you fucking move!"

"We can rush him." Kris whispered shakily. She had grabbed up a tire iron from the trunk and was now clutching it tightly in both hands. "I'll help you, Jill, I won't let you do it alone."

"Close the trunk and get out where I can see you!" Gary shouted again. He had stopped several feet away from the car and was leveling his weapon at her. "Drop whatever it is you have in your hands! Now!"

Jill's eyes darted frantically between Gary and her sister. The trunk was open. Open high enough to where Kris, with her shorter stature, was completely obscured from sight at the angle Gary was viewing them.

He couldn't see her.

With that thought racing through her mind, she turned and looked into her sister's frightened eyes for what would probably be the last time.

"I love you." Jill whispered, thrusting the car keys into her sister's jean pocket.

Kris's face registered confusion for a split second.

And that was all Jill needed.

Without warning, she drove a lightening quick fist as hard as she could into her sister's stomach. Kris doubled over with a strangled gasp, the tire iron dropping from her grasp and clanging to the floor. Shocked and stunned by the blow, Kris was too helpless to protest as Jill shoved her roughly into the lip of the trunk and rolled her inside.

The lid of the trunk slammed closed leaving Kris choking and gasping for breath inside.

But invisible to Gary.

"A tire iron?" Gary sneered. "That's it?"

Jill ignored him and raised her hands in surrender. She cast a quick glance to the trunk where Kris was probably fighting to breathe. She had hit her little sister as hard as she could and she of course hadn't been bracing herself. Jill tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She had done it to protect her, she reminded herself sternly. But Kris's eyes had held such shock and betrayal, and that this would be the last memory that either of them would have together stung painfully.

Because Gary was going to kill her. She wasn't stupid enough to think otherwise.

Jill clenched her jaw determinedly and stepped away from Bosely's car.

Gary rushed her immediately, grabbed her arm and twisted it painfully behind her back. "In your room. Now." he hissed in her ear.

Having no choice but to obey, Jill pointed out the door, still slightly ajar, and Gary pushed her towards it, ignoring her limp. Once inside, he shut the door, spun Jill around and landed a swift, heavy blow to the side of her face with his gun. The assault caught her off guard, and she toppled over with a sharp yelp of pain.

The fight she had anticipated was over before it even begun.

Gary yanked her to her feet and flung her towards one of the beds. Her knees hit the soft mattress and her momentum sent her sprawling over on top of it. Before she could move again, Gary was on top of her, digging a knee into the small of her back and roughly pulling her arms behind her.

Too dazed to fight back, Jill winced in pain and listened to her heart pound furiously in her chest. This was it. She bit her tongue to keep herself from slipping into unconsciousness. If he was going to kill her, she would at least make him look her in the eyes while he did.

Gary finished tying her wrists behind herand yanked the rope tight. Jill sucked in a big lungful of air the moment his weight lifted off of her back. But, she didn't have long to celebrate not being suffocated. He pulled her up and flung her face first into the headboard.

Jill instinctively turned her body so her shoulder absorbed most of the impact, but it still hurt. Unable to stand, she bounced off of the bed and ungracefully slid down the wood frame to the carpeted floor. Her head was throbbing horribly and she squeezed her eyes shut to ward off the intense rush of dizziness.

"Where are your friends?" Gary barked at her.

Jill didn't comply quickly enough and Gary aimed an angry kick into her chest. Jill cried out as the back of her head bounced again off of the wall.

"Where are they?" Gary repeated menacingly.

Jill shook her head. "They're not here." she whispered.

Gary let out a loud curse, yanked Jill up off of the floor and flung her into the headboard. The back of the headboard hit the wall so hard, the impact left twin chips in the light green paint.

"Are they coming back here?" he hissed, leaning in dangerously close.

Jill forced her eyes open and glared at him. "No. I'm by myself. Look around." she spat at him. "Who the hell e-"

A hard slap to the face silenced her. Another sent her toppling over onto her side.

"They're coming back, aren't they?" Gary growled at her. "We can just wait right here for them, sweetheart."

Jill groaned and closed her eyes in shame. Her friends would walk right into a trap and it would be all her fault.

The door flying open sent Jill bolting upright, ready to scream a desperate warning to Sabrina and Kelly. But it was Murph. Gary sent a fist in her direction anyway, violently silencing any chance of a cry for help. Jill's head rocked back into the headboard with a loud crack and she slumped over on top of the two pillows, barely clinging to consciousness.

"We gotta go, man!" Murph cried urgently. "People looking out the windows, walking around. Someone's gonna call the cops!"

Gary stormed over to the window. Sure enough a few people were hesitantly peeking out of their rooms. He let out a loud curse.

"Those girls are coming back here!" he fumed. "We can get them all!"

Murph shook his head. "The cops will be here first. We'll be trapped in here!"

Jill moaned feebly and slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, hoping the men would stall long enough for help to come. Though if she was honest with herself, it wasn't likely. The room tilted and spun, her head ached, and it was hard to focus her eyes. She could feel blood running from her nose and over her top lip, and the metallic taste was enough to scare her in lucidity. Overcoming the urge to close her eyes and let herself pass out, she pushed herself back into a sitting position and stared bravely at her captors.

"Gary, we have to go!" Murph yelled frantically, giving his friend an angry shove.

For once, Gary didn't argue against logic. He ran a nervous hand through his hair and fixed his gaze on Jill.

"They'll come for her." he said to himself. "Get her in the car."

Eager to leave the motel, Murph rushed to the bed, and pulled Jill to her feet. She staggered, still dizzy and weak-kneed from the blow to the head, but he steadied her and with surprising gentleness, led her out the door.

As she crossed the threshold, Jill's eyes immediately darted around, not for help or for an escape, but directly to the trunk of the car where her sister was most likely recovered from the blow she had given her.

Her stomach flipped.

The car was rocking slightly, the trunk visibly jolting up and down as her sister screamed and kicked inside her metal prison. They would see her, she thought frantically. Without thinking of the consequences, she began to distract the men the only way she knew how.

"Somebody help me!" she screeched as loudly as she could.

Jill screamed, thrashed and kicked wildly at both Murph and Gary with both feet, futilely attempting to escape and purposely steering them away from the Thunderbird. The two men went wild, grabbing at her, groping at her mouth, hissing at her to shut up. An elbow to her stomach finally reduced her cries to faint gasping and whimpering. But the distraction had done it's job. They were at the car and away from Kris.

"Shut her up!" Gary snarled at his friend.

Murph removed the hand he had clamped over Jill's mouth, only to cram in a foul tasting piece of fabric. He tied it behind her head and pushed her into the backseat of their car. No sooner were they inside than the engine roared to life and the black Buick Regal peeled out of the motel parking lot, leaving nothing in it's wake but a trail of slowly settling dust, a noisy Thunderbird, and one auburn haired witness.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Jill! Jill!"

Kris's voice cracked, already hoarse from shrieking her sister's name. Panicked tears streamed down both her cheeks, though she didn't have either the time or cause to worry about them. She kicked and slammed her fists uselessly into the sturdy metal of the Thunderbird's trunk, but succeeded only in wearing herself out. Her heart pounded and her chest felt like it would burst with the exertion her wild flailing was causing her.

Jill's screams were still echoing in her ears, bouncing off of the sloped walls of her prison until she felt her skull would shatter. Her only sister screaming for help before abruptly cutting off into silence. And she had been trapped inside here, powerless to do anything about it.

Had they hurt her? Killed her?

Trapped and blinded by the steel walls of the car's trunk, Kris had no idea and not knowing drove her mad. She had to get the hell out of here. How long had she been in here?

Five minutes? Ten? An hour?

Now. She had to get out right now.

Kris continued screaming, sobbing and cursing shrilly inside the car until the top of the trunk that she was beating so furiously began to pound back at her. She paused in confusion, distracted from her struggle only the briefest of moments before she realized that someone was outside.

"Jill? Kris?" a frightened female voice called out.

Kris's breath caught in her throat at the familiar voice.

Sabrina.

The sound of her friend's voice sent a jolt of desperation through her. Her fists instinctively began to once again hammer away at the top of the trunk, ignoring the stinging pain it was causing her. "Sabrina, help me!" she wailed frantically.

"Kris!" Kelly's voice shouted. "Are you two alright?"

"Jill's gone! They took Jill!" Kris shouted back.

Kelly and Sabrina had a brief, terse exchange before raising their voices so that Kris could hear them.

"We're gonna get you out of here!" Kelly yelled. "Everything will be alright, just calm down!"

Though being calm was impossible, Kris stopped her pounding and forced herself to lay as quiet as she could, save for her frantic, ragged breathing. She could hear Kelly and Sabrina scurrying around the car, snapping random instructions to each other as they tried to find a way to get her out.

Two thumps on either side of the roof above her made Kris flinch in her place.

"We're just looking for something to pry open the trunk, just hang on, ok?" Sabrina's voice, pressed as close to the surface of the car as she could, called out. Kris could hear the gravel beneath Sabrina's feet as her friend rushed off, hollering something she couldn't understand to Kelly.

Anxious and wishing they would hurry, Kris rolled over onto her side and buried her sweaty face in the crook of her arm. It was stuffy in the trunk and she had spent the last ten minutes kicking and flailing. She needed to calm down, relax, or it would only make it worse. A sudden sharp jab in her hip made her gasp out loud.

The keys.

The memory of Jill shoving the car keys into her pocket before knocking the wind out of her flashed across her mind.

"Sabrina!" she shouted, slamming her palms against the trunk. "I have the key! I have the key!"

A few seconds later, Kelly and Sabrina were thumping urgently against the trunk.

"You have the keys?" Kelly yelled.

"Yes!" Kris answered. "How can I get them to you?"

Kelly pushed her face toward the thin gap between the trunk and the rear of the car. "Ok, Kris. Listen to me." she said calmly. "You need to push out the taillight."

Kris moaned her frustration. "How do I do that?" she cried.

"Right here!" Kelly answered. There was a light tapping close to Kris's face to show her. "Right there, Kris. Push on it until it pops out and then give us the keys."

Kris swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed on the smooth piece of red plastic. When it wouldn't give right away, her frazzled mind panicked at the thought that it never would. She let out a few frustrated curses and then took a deep, calming breath.

"C'mon, Kris. You can do it." Sabrina encouraged, with a light pat to the top of the trunk. "It's alright, just relax."

After taking a second to compose herself, Kris jammed her palm into the back of the taillight until finally, it began to give. With a bit more effort, the piece of plastic popped out of it's place with a light snapping sound and light flooded her previously dark prison. One of Sabrina's brown eyes immediately blocked the opening.

"The key, Kris. You're almost out." she said calmly. "Just give me the key."

Kris stuffed the keys through the little hole into Sabrina's waiting hand. Her friend's long fingers snatched them away, and after a few seconds, the lock audibly clicked free, and the lid of the trunk swung open. The rush of fresh air was almost as welcome a sight as her two friends. She bolted upright immediately, letting the two girls take her arm and help her scramble out of the trunk.

"Jill!" Kris blurted out frantically, the moment her feet touched the pavement. "Jill, they took Jill!"

"Gary did?' Sabrina asked. "What happened, Kris?"

Kris began gesturing wildly to the spot where the black Buick Regal had been minutes earlier. "He came in a black car!" she sputtered. "She hit me and locked me in the trunk, I didn't see anything, I was in the trunk, but she was screaming and I think they hurt her! You have to find her, please, please find her!" She was almost hysterical now, flailing, pointing randomly, rambling through her tears, and her choked voice was difficult to understand.

Kelly stepped forward, firmly took Kris's face in both hands and forced her still. "Kris." she said sternly. "You have to calm down. We don't understand what you're saying, honey. Calm down."

Tears still streaming down her face, Kris swallowed hard, took a deep breath and forced down the fluttery, suffocating feelings of hysteria. Every second spent blubbering like an idiot could be a second taken away from the window of time they had to find Jill. Get it together, she told herself sternly. "Me and Jill were standing outside." she started in a shaky but even voice. "Gary came up in a black car. Jill hit me and locked me in the trunk and- and I couldn't see anything, but she was screaming and they- they took her, she's gone."

Kelly and Sabrina exchanged a worried look.

"If he just wanted to kill her, he would have done it right here." Sabrina said quickly, running a nervous hand through her hair. "He's taken her somewhere. Probably to lure us in."

Kelly clenched her jaw in anger. Her green eyes darted to Kris before settling on Sabrina's worried face. She took her friend's elbow and led her a few steps away from Kris. "What if he's trying to make her tell him where we are, Bri." she asked, lowering her voice so Kris wouldn't hear.

"She wouldn't give us away." Sabrina answered immediately.

"I know. Then he wouldn't need her."

The hidden meaning behind Kelly's words wasn't lost on Sabrina. She nodded her head in grim understanding and began to anxiously pace back and forth. A pressing sense of urgency was filling all three of them. They had to find Jill before it was too late.

Sabrina suddenly paused. She really had no idea where to begin looking, but it would have to start with leaving the motel parking lot. "Ok, Kris." she said tersely. "Get in the car. We'll- we'll drive around."

Without another word, the three girls hurriedly piled into Kelly's car, peeled out of their parking spot and bounced over the uneven pavement towards the exit.

"Look at the skid marks, Bri." Kelly pointed out, slowing slightly to observe her find. "He took a left out of here."

She didn't wait for confirmation. Sabrina steadied herself against the door as Kelly took a sharp left turn and screeched out of the parking lot and onto the highway, cutting off an oncoming truck as she did. The girls were oblivious to both his horn and dirty look as he passed.

"They might be headed out of town then." Sabrina whispered to turned in her seat. "Kris, did they know you were in the trunk?"

Her question jerked Kris out of her trance. "No, I don't think so. They would have gotten me too." she said quietly, wiping her eyes. "Jill - stupid Jill- I think she did it to protect me."

Sabrina nodded mutely. That certainly sounded like Jill. She dropped her voice to a whisper again. "Kell, if he's going out of the city, we're not too far behind."

Kelly didn't respond verbally, but pressed down on the gas, surging her mustang up and over the speed limit. The scenery blurred past them faster and faster, until it became nervewracking to look out the window. Sabrina leaned back in her seat and tried to calm the sick feeling knotting her stomach. No matter what was happening, they had to stay focused, they couldn't lose it now. Jill was depending on them, and as violent a man as Gary Moore was, they couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Jill needed them.

And so did Kris. She looked up at the rearview mirror to check on her. Her younger friend was doing her best to stay calm, but it was more than obvious that she was very upset and only a few distractions stood between composure and breaking down altogether.

Sabrina reached in the backseat and took one of her hands. "Don't worry, Kris."she said solemnly. "We'll find her."

Kris forced a faint smile on her face and nodded weakly. She trusted Kelly and Sabrina.

And right now that was the only thing she could do.

* * *

Laura paced back and forth in front of her curtained motel room window. She had to do this, she couldn't just pretend she hadn't seen anything. Part of her cursed the curiosity that had led her to pull back the shades from her window and peek out into the parking lot. If only she had waited another few seconds. The commotion wasn't very long and Gary would have been gone had she stalled only a little longer.

Could she just pretend she hadn't seen anything? Who would know?

No. Because she had, and now, despite the fear and dread churning in her stomach, she had to do something about it.

A yellow mustang she didn't recognize pulled up and two young women that she very much did got out. Laura swallowed hard, silently willing them to open the trunk and let Kris out. It took some scrambling around and yelling, but they finally did. Kris appeared unhurt and Laura felt a twinge of relief for that.

Now all she had to do was face them and lead them to where she already knew Gary would be.

* * *

"They only have a five minute jump on us." Sabrina said quietly. "We might still catch them."

"Bri, they could have gone anywhere!" Kelly snapped back in frustration. "They could have taken any exit!"

Sabrina let out a shaky breath and nervously rubbed her face. "I know, Kell, I know." she sighed. "Just- just we need to hope they didn't."

Kelly swerved angrily around a slow moving truck and surged the yellow mustang forward. Now free of any traffic, the girls flew down the freeway, easily exceeding the speed limit by at least thirty miles.

The three girls sat in worried, somber silence, minds racing for a way to save their friend from her fate. This could easily end in tragedy. Gary was a sick man. A sick, violent, man with a vendetta against them. Kelly gritted her teeth and chanced a brief glance in the rearview mirror at Kris. Out of all of them, Gary wanted her the most. Jill's sisterly resemblance to Kris had already confused him once, and even if he did realize that he had the wrong blonde, he could always hurt Jill to indirectly hurt Kris. And with the way her best friend's fierce protective nature was, even if Gary did mistake her for Kris, she wouldn't say otherwise

Jill was not in a good position.

"Guys, that car is following us." Kris whispered from the back seat, distracting Kelly from her dark thoughts.

Kelly started and again glanced up at her rearview mirror. A newish looking tan Ford Fiesta was a few car lengths behind them. A feat that would have been largely unremarkable had she not been going nearly ninety miles an hour.

"Undercover cop?" Sabrina guessed, turning in her seat to watch. She answered her own question a second later. "No, I doubt it." she whispered. "Could it be Gary?"

Kris shook her head. "He had a black car."

"Yeah. You saw a black car." Sabrina muttered absently. She reached out an arm and batted at Kelly's shoulder. "Kell, slow down a little, I want to see who this is."

Though the thought of getting sidetracked with this sudden newcomer frustrated Kelly to no end, she reluctantly eased her foot off of the accelerator. If this tail was just a coincidental distraction, she was going to be very angry.

"Who is it?" Kelly demanded.

Sabrina had climbed into the backseat with Kris and both girls were on their knees, staring out the rear window like a couple of curious squirrels.

"It's a woman-" Sabrina started, straining her eyes to see. "Hey, she's slowing down too. Is she-?"

"She's waving to us." Kris picked up.

Kelly shook her head and began to speed up again, unconvinced by the running commentary she was hearing, that the new car was of any importance. Two abrupt gasps of shock made her eyes flick to the rearview mirror again.

"Wait!" Kris cried. "That's Laura!"

Both girls in the backseat suddenly topped backwards as Kelly slammed on the brakes and swerved into the next lane. The Ford blew past them, and Kelly immediately picked up her speed again, just as Kris and Sabrina untangled themselves and began to sit up. For the second time, the abrupt change of speed sent them tumbling back into their seats with outraged protests and a few curses.

Kelly didn't have time to apologize. She anxiously tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Her maneuver had effectively reversed their roles so that they were tailing the tan Ford. The ball was in Laura's court now and she had better act soon.

For her sake.

Fortunately, Laura delivered almost immediately. As the girls followed, the little Ford Fiesta signaled and began to slow. Kelly did the same and in less than a minute, both cars had come to a halt on the shoulder of the highway. The girls watched suspiciously as Laura got out of her car and stood nervously by its side, the door still open as if she had considered the option of having to jump back in and speed away.

"What the hell is she doing?" Kris asked weakly.

Kelly and Sabrina answered by simultaneously throwing open their doors and jumping out of the car. Laura had not left them on a very happy note and both girls were eager to show her how they felt about it. Kris sat frozen in the backseat, watching in horror as Sabrina and Kelly stormed over to her, clearly in the mood for some violence.

Sabrina reached her first.

"Where is she?" she snarled, grabbing both of Laura's shoulders and shoving her backwards. Laura's hands instinctively flew in front of her face at the unexpected aggression. She stumbled back into the open car door, toppling over into front seat. Kelly and Sabrina both mistook her off balance tumble as a sign of retreat, and shouting infuriated protests, they reached inside the car and dragged her out.

Laura panicked at the rough treament, believing herself about to be beaten to death, and began to flail her arms. Though she didn't expect it too, one of her fists made connect with a loud smack and an all too familiar yelp of pain. Sabrina released her and stepped back with a loud curse, both hands to her injured nose.

Laura didn't have a chance to be horrified at just punching the very person she who's trust she was trying to regain. A strong grip closed around her throat and her back collided painfully with the side of her car, slamming the breath she had planned to use to shout out an apology out of her lungs in a strangled gasp.

She stared with wide, frightened eyes into Kelly's furious and extremely intimidating face.

This was not going how she planned.

"You better start explaining." Kelly threatened in a smooth, silky voice. "Right now."

Sabrina returned to Kelly's side, rubbing her face and looking every bit as dangerous and threatening as her companion. The explanation Laura had carefully prepared in the car immediately fled the scene. She couldn't do the same, however. Instead, she again shielded her face and defensively twisted her body away, cowering from the anger of the two young women in front of her.

"What's going on Laura? Planning to sell us out again?" Sabrina sneered.

"No!" Laura squeaked. "It's not what you think!"

Kelly roughly spun her around to face them. "Then what is it, Laura?" she demanded angrily. "Start talking!"

"I- I saw what-" Laura began to stammer.

Frustrated and disgusted with the girl in front of her, Sabrina yanked her hands away from her face. "What did you see, Laura!" she yelled. Laura flinched and tried to raise her hands to her face again, but Sabrina's strong grip on her wrists wouldn't allow it.

"I saw- I saw them take her." Laura whimpered. "I was at the motel, I saw Gary take Jill from my window. Please, let me go."

Kelly and Sabrina ignored her request.

"How did you see?" Kelly pressed. "Why were you at the motel? Did you follow us there?"

Laura shook her head as much as she could with the girls' firm hold on her. "I-I was staying there. The night Gary came to your apartment, I ran away from the cop and my friend was already there waiting for me and-"

"Your friend?" Sabrina interrupted heatedly. "You mean Gary?"

"No!" Laura shouted, a trace of anger and frustration in her voice. She immediately remembered her situation and checked herself. "No, I don't have anything to do with Gary, I swear to God."

The look on both girls face registered contempt and disbelief at her statement. Before they could voice their opinion, she wisely decided to change tactics.

"Listen, I know how it looks." she stammered quickly. "But please believe me, I didn't call him that night. I got scared so I-I called a friend. She was the one waiting there for me. I jumped in her car and told her to go and she- and she did."

Sabrina gave a sarcastic derisive little laugh. "You outran a cop and got in your friend's car who just conveniently happened to be there?"

She and Kelly shared a dark look and Laura sensed the opportunity to get them to trust her rapidly slipping away.

"Please! Please, listen to me! She was there because she was the one I called when you caught me on the phone!" she wailed desperately. "When I told her what happened, she- my friend didn't want me with her because I was in trouble, so she drove me to the motel, signed me in under her name, and left me the car and some money. That's what I was doing there, you have to believe me!"

Kelly and Sabrina shared another almost unreadable look.

"That's all very coincidental, Laura." Kelly whispered.

Laura moaned helplessly. "And that's all it is, I swear to God!" she insisted. "I saw them take Jill. And- and I think I know where they're taking her."

Those appeared to be the magic words to make Kelly and Sabrina let go of her. They released her and took a step back, both girls staring hard into her eyes. Laura could only stand before them, shaking and fighting the urge to both cry or throw up from sheer stress.

"It's a trap." Sabrina said flatly, glaring at her through narrowed eyes.

Laura shook her head. "It's not, I swear. I can take you there."

"How do you know she's there." Kelly asked quickly.

"I-I don't know exactly." Laura admitted. She waited for both girls to tear into her the second the words came out of her mouth, but to her relief, they continued standing in front of her, arms crossed and eyes glittering with anger. Their patience and her time was running out. She needed to be direct and very, very quick. "But he used to go there with his friends to hide out. They would drink, play cards, smoke pot, whatever." she continued. "I've only been once before, but I know where it is."

Kelly and Sabrina again glanced at each other, and for the few moments it took, Laura desperately wished she knew what they were thinking. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her trance with a startled shriek. She jerked back and whipped her head around. A third girl had joined her friends, undetected by her due to Kelly and Sabrina's extremely distracting presence. How long had she been standing there?

"You think you know where my sister is?" Kris asked quietly. Like her two friends, her expression and tone were vague, unreadable, and just like her two friends Laura found herself intimidated by her presence. The three girls now had her cornered against her car, on the side of an empty backstreet highway.

Laura could only give her head a slight nod.

Kris looked at Sabrina and Kelly, determination and fire in her eyes. "We don't have a choice." she whispered. "Trap or not, she's our only lead."

Kelly and Sabrina nodded reluctantly. Trust or no trust, Kris was right. The girls stood in contemplative silence for an agonizingly slow few seconds before reaching forward and grabbing both of Laura's arms. Laura wisely decided not to protest as they dragged her away from her vehicle and towards the yellow mustang parked behind it.

"Then you're taking us to Jill." Sabrina ordered menacingly.

Laura swallowed hard and climbed into the backseat of Kelly's car. This wasn't how she thought it would go about, but that's exactly what she had planned to do.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Jill lay quietly in the backseat of Gary's car, sprawled uncomfortably across the floorboards beneath Murph's long legs. How long had they been driving?, she wondered.

Her head ached so badly and she felt dizzy and nauseous. She must have blacked out for a few minutes, because she sensed a gap in time from being thrown into the car and right now. There was a horrible taste in her mouth, almost like gasoline, and she instantly remembered she had been gagged. It was extremely uncomfortable, tugging painfully at the sensitive corners of her mouth and drying out any moisture she had. She worked at the towel in her mouth with her tongue, but found it impossible to loosen and gave up. Murph had tied it too tight.

Her arms were crushed beneath her and her fingers and hands were numb. She tried to wiggle her fingers to get back feeling, but it hurt her wrists. Her nose was still bleeding and, unable to wipe away the blood, it trickled freely down her chin, into her parted mouth and soaked into the towel. Everything seemed as hopeless and frustrating as it could get. She let out a soft groan and shifted slightly.

"Shut up." Gary snapped from the front seat. "She makes another sound and you brain her, Murph."

He tossed something into the backseat and Jill flinched at the shadow it cast over her as it flew. Murph caught it, but from her position on the floor, she couldn't tell what it was. Only that it sounded heavy and would probably hurt a great deal to be hit with. And that was more than incentive enough to lay her head back down and focus on being very quiet.

They continued driving what Jill guessed to be a half hour before she felt the car slow to a halt. She craned her neck to try to look up, but her angle offered nothing more than the roof of the car and Murph's legs. After a moment, she was jostled slightly as the car began to move again and she guessed they had stopped at either a red light or a stop sign. But she had no way of knowing. Even her perception of time might be off, she realized. She had been struck on the head and been unconscious for who knew how long. Maybe they had been driving for hours?

However long it was, the Black Regal finally reached it's destination a few minutes later. The engine shut off, a car door opened and closed, and then a rush of fresh air greeted her as the backseat door was yanked open.

Rough hands grabbed at her upper arms and dragged her out of the backseat of the car. Jill's eyes darted around, desperately trying to figure out her surroundings in case she ever had the opportunity to escape, but all she gained was a brief flash of blinding afternoon sun and lofty tree branches before something soft was thrown over her face.

Jill tossed her head and protested loudly in frustration, wanting to rid herself of the cigarette reeking coat or jacket to see where she was. She heard a low muttered curse before something hard and heavy slammed into the side of her head.

Bright lights burst in front of her closed eyes and she let out a muffled yelp of pain and thudded solidly back to the ground. There was a strange, surreal sensation of being lifted off of the ground and carried, and though she wanted to kick and scream, she could do neither. She could feel every footstep jarring her, sending searing flashes of pain shooting across her forehead and behind her eyes.

It was too much.

More than grateful to embrace the darkness and its shelter from pain, Jill let her eyes roll back in her head and went limp in Murph's arms.

* * *

"I don't see a black car here, Laura." Kelly said quietly.

The girls were staring beyond a rusted chain link fence at a very shady looking apartment complex. From the looks of it, only one of the two buildings was inhabited, leaving the other riddled with rotten wood, broken windows, and covered in a heavy coat of brightly colored graffiti art.

"There's a lot of places he could have parked." Laura answered. Her words were more confident than she was, and both Sabrina and Kelly picked up on it immediately.

"You're sure he's here?" Sabrina asked darkly.

Laura nodded her head and then stopped and nervously ran a hair through her auburn hair. "Yes, I mean- this is where he'd come a lot and- and not many people knew about it." she explained hastily.

Kelly whirled around to face her. "You're guessing?" she asked in outrage, her green eyes narrowed in anger. "Jill's life is depending on us and you're guessing?"

"I'm trying to help you!" Laura wailed. "Please, he always came here!"

Kelly's eyes flashed, but before she could voice her unhappiness with Laura's abilities as a guide, Sabrina laid a calming hand on her shoulder. "Kell, c'mon, whether she's here or not, we're wasting time talking."

Kelly immediately got out of the car and all three of her passengers followed her lead.

Only two were wanted, however.

"No. Stay in the car." Kelly ordered, spinning around to catch Kris by the shoulders.

Kris bristled at the patronizing treatment. "No!" she snapped. "She's my sist-"

Kelly forcibly shoved her back, surprising Kris with her both her aggression and deceptive strength. "Do not argue with me, Kris." she said quietly. "Stay in the car."

Before she could argue any more, Sabrina took a firm hold on her elbow. "We'll be back." she added sternly, opening the door and herding her inside. "Do not get out of this car, do you understand me?"

Kris clenched her jaw, outraged and frustrated by their treatment and insistence that she sit here and be useless. But time was precious and she was wasting it. "Fine. Just find my sister." she relented somewhat angrily.

Sabrina slammed the car door shut without another word and Kris watched her two friends rush off into the depths of the desolate apartment complex, Laura held firmly between them.

With a strangled cry of frustration, she swung a fist hard into the back of the driver's seat, accomplishing nothing more than making the seat bounce forward slightly and hurting her hand. She groaned and rested her head against the same spot she had just punched.

Never had she felt so powerless in her life.

While Kris took her frustration out on Kelly's upholstery, Kelly, Sabrina, and Laura hurried into the shady looking apartment building. Thug-looking, tattooed men were scattered about, milling around the boarded up entrance, warily watching the three extremely out of place young women.

Though puzzled by the unexpected arrival of three well groomed girls, the men decided to turn it to their advantage. Most them confined their appreciation to lude jeers and catcalls, but four of the more bold chose to have some fun with them.

Laura unconsciously squeezed Sabrina and Kelly's arms as a few leering men approached them, blocking their path.

"You ladies look like you need a tour guide." one of the men called out to them with a cocky grin.

Sabrina and Kelly shared a quick look. They didn't have time to be harassed. Especially now. "Get out of our way." Kelly said quietly.

The four men laughed, genuinely amused by their boldness and the speaker moved forward, intending to touch Laura. His pleasant view of the girl's face was immediately replaced by the barrel of Sabrina's gun.

"Are you deaf or stupid?" Sabrina growled at him. "She said, get out of our way." The cocky young man stumbled backwards in shock until he nearly tripped on the bottom step of the short staircase leading to the entrance.

"L.A.P.D." Kelly snapped at him, flashing the handle of her gun as well. "Do you know Gary Moore?"

The young man stammered and looked behind him for the support of his companions. He found himself very much alone, his friends having wisely scattered to the winds at the sight of the gun and the merest mention of police. "Yeah." he sputtered. "I-I know Gary."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes at him. "Is he here?"

The young man shook his head, his eyes still glued to Sabrina's pistol. "I haven't seen him, but-but if he's here he'll be up on the third floor."

Sabrina and Kelly shared a dark look and then pushed by the young hood and rushed up the steps. Laura scrambled after them. The three girls opened the door, ducked under the barrier, and looked warily around the abandoned building. Their arrival had sent a few rats scurrying for shelter through one of the many holes in the walls and floor. A once proud chandelier swung sadly on the ceiling, dark and uncared for. The electricity obviously did not work, but there was enough sunlight streaming through the boarded up windows and the door that it wasn't a problem. The entire building smelled like mold, damp and uninviting. An ideal location for some illegal activity.

"Where would he be on the third floor?" Sabrina whispered, looking around warily.

Laura rubbed her eye nervously. "Um, there's a door that's not boarded up somewhere in the middle of the hallway. Someone knocked down one of the walls so two rooms connect together."

Kelly nodded, her eyes scanning for the stairwell. She found it on the immediate left, dark and foreboding. There were also elevators, though without electricity they were worthless. And even with electricity, they looked to promise a horrible falling death in an elevator shaft. No. Stairs it was.

"There, Bri." Kelly whispered, pointing out the stairwell. Sabrina spotted it and began cautiously moving forward.

"You stay here." she ordered Laura. "And you'd better be here when we get back."

Eager to prove herself and relieved that she wouldn't have to face Gary, Laura quickly nodded her head and found herself a comparatively clean spot against the wall to lean against while her two companions disappeared into the dark stairwell. Her stomach was in knots and she found herself grateful that she had eaten an early lunch. What ever was going to happen, she couldn't help them from down here, she realized. She stared at the shadowy staircase. For now it was quiet and still, but at any moment that could change.

All she could do was hope and pray that all three girls would come back alive.

* * *

Faint buzzing and dim lights began to slowly materialize in Jill's senses.

It took a bit of effort, but she managed to pry her eyelids open. Not that it helped. Everything in front of her was floating. Blurry, unfocused, impossibly bright.

She winced and closed her eyes again. The buzzing grew louder until she realized it was a man's voice. She opened her eyes again and the voice became clearer, more urgent. But still impossible to understand. Her eyelids slid shut again. Later. She would try later.

A shock of cold and wet sent her nervous system reeling in panic.

Jill opened her eyes in alarm and began to toss her head and flail in surprise. Another unpleasant splash of cold water hit her face again, and her hands still tied behind her, her thrashing made her lose her balance and topple over on her side.

"Wake up, beautiful!" a man's voice sang cheerfully.

Now alert, Jill coughed and sputtered, her heart beating frantically in her chest. Dread and fear rolled through her stomach as she suddenly remembered where she was. A rough hand grabbed her arm and jerked her back into a sitting position.

"I need you awake."

Jill blinked her eyes, she was alert, but by no means recovered. Focus took several seconds, but finally, the three floating images melded into one, revealing Gary's face smiling deviously at her.

He grinned and knocked on the top of her head. "You there now?" he sang.

It probably wouldn't have hurt normally, but in her current state, the three light raps sent waves of pain shooting through her skull. She whimpered and shrank away from him as much as she could.

Gary finally leaned back into a crouch, giving her some personal space, and smirked at her. Jill looked around fearfully. She appeared to be sitting on the cold floor of a normal looking apartment or house kitchen. Gary was immediately in front of her and behind him a wooden table and a few beat up mismatched chairs. Murph leaned on one of them, arms crossed in front of his chest and an uncomfortable look on his face.

Seeing her eyes wandering around the room, Gary impatiently reached forward and gave Jill a sound flick to her forehead, causing much more pain than he probably intended. "Don't be rude. Look at me." he snapped at her. "I'm talking to you."

Jill glared at him, her head still reeling from the hard flick.

"I need you to make a phone call for me." he informed her brightly. He reached back and pulled a telephone off of the table. It slipped out of his hands on the way down and jangled loudly against the hard kitchen floor. The noise made Jill flinch in pain.

Gary shoved her shoulder angrily. "Hey! We're having a conversation." he yelled at her. He made a V with his fingers and roughly tapped the sensitive skin below Jill's eyes before mirroring the gesture under his own. "Eye contact!"

Jill let out a muffled groan and fixed her eyes on him.

Gary smiled. "You're a fast learner!" he said proudly. "I like that!" He picked up the phone in one hand and then reached forward and gripped her gag with his other. "Now, before I take this off, this is what you're going to do." he explained patiently. "I'm going to call your friends and you tell them that you've run into some bad luck and that they need to come get you. Without the cops. Then I'm going to take the phone away. If you get all your friends out here, without cops, then I'll let you go. Does that sound like something you can handle?"

The gag reducing her answer choices to either yes or no, Jill nodded her head. Her cooperation was rewarded by Gary pulling the towel out of her mouth. She swallowed and worked her jaw in relief.

"Now, give me the number, sweetheart." Gary asked with a grin.

"You're going to kill them if they come." Jill accused quietly. "Why would I help you do that?"

Gary sighed. "Because if you don't, I'll just kill you. And then I'll kill your friends." he said wearily. "You follow the rules and you can be the one that walks out of here."

"That sounds like a lie." Jill whispered back. "And not a very convincing one."

Gary laughed and roughly jerked her chin up to face him. "Baby, you don't have much of a choice, do you?"

He made a good point. Jill swallowed and left with no alternative, slowly gave out the number to their motel room. Her mind raced as he dialed. She had to have been gone over an hour by now. Kelly and Sabrina would have found Kris and gotten her out of the trunk. And they should be looking for her.

Gary waited patiently with the phone to his ear.

Please don't pick, please don't pick up, Jill prayed silently.

She held her breath, watching Gary's face in tense silence for the slightest movement, the slightest inclination that one of her friends had answered the phone. If they did, they would come for her, she knew that much. And it was her stupidity and carelessness that had gotten her in this mess. It shouldn't damn them all.

With a loud curse, Gary slammed the phone back on its hook, making Jill jump.

"Another number!" he shouted at her, pointing a finger in her face. "You better not be playing with me!"

Jill shrank away from him. "I'm not pl-"

He silenced her with a swat to the side of her head. "Another number. Now." he threatened. "And you better pray to God somebody answers."

Jill swallowed and tentatively offered him the number to Kelly's house, knowing they wouldn't be there either.

Again she waited, insides churning with anticipation, for Gary to dial and wait for an answer. A cough behind him caught her attention. Murph was pacing nervously, looking sick and pale. Her eyes flicked back to the bigger threat of the two. Gary's face grew redder and more angry each second that he didn't. Finally, with an animalistic cry of rage, he cranked his arm back and heaved the entire phone at her.

Even though she was still dazed, Jill's reflexes kicked in and she turned her face just in time to avoid a broken nose. The phone struck her hard, clanging against her cheekbone and shoulder. She shrieked in pain and fright and let the phone bounce into her lap.

"Gary!" Murph called out helplessly. But his friend ignored him as usual, and he averted his eyes and went back to his nervous pacing.

"You're fucking with me!" Gary bellowed at Jill, spit flecking out of his mouth and onto her face.

"No, Gary-" Jill pleaded.

Again he silenced her with an assault. This time in the form of a vicious backhand.

"Last chance." he warned, barely concealed rage lowering his voice. "Do not fuck with me, honey."

Jill let a shaky breath and licked her bleeding lip. She had about two more minutes to live, she guessed. This last phone call would get her killed, because she wasn't about to give him the number to Kelly's car. That's where they would be.

Instead, fighting tears, she gave him the number to Sabrina's car and then closed her eyes. Her breathing quickened as she listened to him dial, and then the agonizing silence afterwards, ticking away the last few moments of her life.

The phone must not have rung at all, because he shoved it out of his lap almost immediately after dialing and angrily pushed himself to his feet. That was her guess anyway. Gary was too furious to bother explaining it to her. Far past the point of explanations and threats, he snatched a handful of her shirt and began raining punches all over her body, screaming incoherently as he did.

Jill screamed in frightened protest, begging and pleading for him to stop. A particularly hard punch to her jaw, sent her head flying backwards. Stunned and jarred senseless, she stared up at the grimy ceiling, horrified at what was happening, yet welcoming it all the same. She had discovered the ceiling was spinning, fading, spiraling away into darkness. If she passed out, would she ever wake up again?

With Gary's blows echoing dully in her ears, she let her eyes close, wondering vaguely if that discolored, stained ceiling was the last thing her eyes would ever see.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Moving blows.**_

**_- kp "especially in july" 1185_**

* * *

Chapter 23

Kelly and Sabrina found themselves encased in darkness by the time they had gotten halfway up the first flight of stairs. They walked as carefully and quietly as they could, though the rotting wood of the staircase creaked and groaned with their weight, complaining loudly of the state of disrepair it had been allowed to deteriorate into. A stream of sunlight greeted them at the top, flooding through the boarded up window of the second floor. The girls looked around warily. Many people had been here recently. The hallway smelled faintly of the odd mixture of mold, sweat, and marijuana. Fast food wrappers, paper cups, cigarette butts, torn up magazines, and random articles of clothing all haphazardly littered the hallway in keeping with the building's theme of neglect and disorder.

"I don't think anyone's here right now." Kelly whispered, taking in the still, empty hallway.

"No." Sabrina agreed quickly. "Third floor."

She took Kelly's elbow and the two girls crept up the next flight of stairs. A hole in the ceiling made this one much more easier to navigate than the one before, though adrenaline and nerves made their climb seem to last forever.

Finally, at the top stair, both girls flattened themselves against the wall and strained their ears for the slightest sound of human activity. But there was nothing. No voices, no movement, nothing but the same filth they had just seen appeared to be sharing the third floor with them.

Feeling extremely uneasy, Sabrina motioned Kelly to the right and, guns drawn, the two crept silently down the hallway, looking for the unboarded door that might hold their best friend. They found it soon after, the faded, peeling green paint of the door a startling contrast to the rotting pieces of lumber blocking every other door in the hall. Kelly pressed her ear against its rough surface and narrowed her eyes, listening intently for movement inside. After a few moments, she looked up and shook her head at Sabrina's inquiring gaze.

It was completely silent.

Sabrina nodded and tested the doorknob. It turned easily in her hands.

She shared another look with Kelly and waved her gun slightly from side to side, their familiarity with each other eliminating the need for spoken conversation. Kelly understood perfectly. They were going in aggressively. Hopefully the element of surprise would be in their favor, because Jill needed all the help she could get right now.

Hearts racing and guns drawn, the two girls crowded by the door and Sabrina mouthed a silent countdown.

One.

Two.

On three, the girls burst inside, Sabrina veering to the left and Kelly to the right, guns leveled and ready to fire.

They succeeded only in frightening a family of pigeons, who took to the sky warbling in protest at their sudden interruption and fluttered away through a large hole in the wall.

For all their trouble, the apartment seemed lifeless and empty.

"Jill?" Kelly called, rushing off to search. She ducked through the demolished wall Laura had told them about and scanned her eyes around the second apartment. There didn't appear to be anything here either, but she dutifully searched the entire room, opening every door and looking around every corner.

"Over here." she heard Sabrina call.

Her friend's tone wasn't urgent, so she finished checking behind what turned out to be a pantry door and jogged back through the gap into the first apartment. Sabrina was standing in the center, her hands on her hips, and a hopeless look of despair on her face.

"She's not here." she said quietly. "Nobody's here."

Kelly heaved a sigh of frustration and ran a hand through her brown hair. The girls holstered their weapons and without another word walked out of the empty apartment to the staircase. They didn't speak the entire way down, though the same angry and disgusted demeanor surrounded them both.

Jill was still missing, in grave danger, and they had just wasted what little time they had on a false clue and an empty apartment.

* * *

Jill opened her eyes and immediately winced and shut them again. Her head was throbbing, every breath she took pounding in her ears. Eyes shut to ward off the dizziness inducing light, she laid still and listened carefully.

She felt cold. Her body was laying on a hard, uncomfortable surface, and she ventured to guess she was still lying on floor of the kitchen. She tried to move, but quickly realized her hands and now ankles were firmly tied so she gave up on trying to get more comfortable. The cold linoleum felt good on her flushed and bruised face anyway.

Her mouth was so dry, aching for something to drink. She could feel sticky, dried blood all over her chin and forehead, couldl taste it on the towel in her mouth. Her jaw felt sore and she wished it go as numb as her arms and fingers already were. Judging by how miserable, achy, and cold she felt, she must have been lying here for quite awhile.

Though she was conscious now, she decided to play dead until she knew exactly what was going on. It was quiet in the room, but she felt the presence of another person, and if that person was Gary, then she was certainly not going to welcome the chance for him to give her another beating. More careful listening rewarded her with a man coughing slightly and the soft knock of heavy glass on wood. Someone was setting down a drink, she realized, and the thought made her mouth seem even dryer.

Without realizing it, she let out a pitiful whimper.

A chair scraped backwards along the linoleum floor in response, and Jill tensed every muscle, deeply regretting alerting them that she was awake. Heavy footsteps approached her until she sensed the light in front of her closed eyes blotted out by a man's shadow. It was Murph, she didn't have to see him to know.

A gentle hand grasped her chin and tilted her head up off of the floor. His touch felt warm in contrast with the uncomfortable floor.

"You awake?" he asked.

Any doubt that it was Murph was erased by his voice. Jill thought for a moment. She could easily pretend to have slipped back into unconsciousness, but maybe it might be in her best interest not to. Gary wasn't around, she was more than sure of it. His intense presence was not in this room, and even if he was without her knowledge, Murph wouldn't be interacting with her if he was. He wasn't as violent as Gary, clearly more reluctant and unwilling.

If there was a way out of here it would be through him.

She let her eyes flutter open to answer his question.

Murph lowered her head back to the floor and remained crouching in front of her, studying her intently. "Thought he might have killed you." he mused quietly.

Jill looked up at him and mumbled through her gag, hoping he would get the hint and remove it. He watched her thoughtfully for a few moments before, much to her relief, he leaned over her, untied the knot behind her head, and peeled the gasoline and blood stained towel out of her mouth.

Jill coughed and worked her sore jaw and dry tongue.

"Thank you." she croaked softly, her voice hoarse and raspy from cottonmouth.

Murph observed her a little longer, before rocking on his heels awkwardly. "You want some water?" he asked. Jill glanced up at him, one last crazy idea forming in her head. He felt sorry for her, the remorseful killer trying to give his victim a last bit of comfort. How far could she convince him to go?

Whatever. She'd find out later.

Right now, water was a damn good start.

"Please." she whispered meekly. Murph got up immediately and walked away without a word. Jill listened to him bustling about what, by now, she had figured out was the kitchen of a house. A cabinet opened and closed, glass tinkled, and the faucet turned on. She listened to the glass fill, and made herself lay still as to not appear too eager or strong. Although she was miserable, she was purposely acting and speaking much more weakly than she felt. Pity would be what got her out of here and she needed to pull out every bit of the actress inside of her to get it.

Murph returned soon after with a short glass of water, set it on the floor and helped Jill lean against the wall in a sitting position.

"My arms hurt, can you untie me?" she asked quietly.

Murph shook his head slightly. "No, sorry. I can't do that." he answered. He looked away, picked up the glass and held it to Jill's lips. She guzzled down the water gratefully in a few gulps, ignoring the unladylike dribbling down her chin. She drained it much sooner than she would have liked.

"Thanks." she gasped, when she had finished.

Murph didn't respond. He set the glass aside and reached for the dirty towel he had tossed to the side.

Jill perked up immediately. "Oh no, please!" she whimpered. "Please, I won't scream, I promise!"

Murph hesitated for moment and then heaved a sigh and tossed the towel back to the floor. "Fine, but don't scream." he muttered. He got up, slumped back in the kitchen chair and took another sip of his drink.

Jill stared carefully at the dark colored liquid in his glass. If he was drinking, it might make things easier for her.

"Where's Gary?" she asked innocently.

Murph took another drink and stared listlessly at her. "You shouldn't be asking questions." he said flatly.

"Why not?" Jill countered in defeat. "You're going to kill me aren't you? What does it matter?"

A deeply uncomfortable look crossed Murph's face and he began to nervously swirl the drink in his glass. Biting his lip, he stared into the hypnotically swirling liquid for a moment before looking back up at Jill. He looked upset, pained, like he wanted to cry.

"Look, I don't want to kill you- Jillian." he started, leaning forward urgently. "Jillian, that's your name isn't it?"

"Jill." she corrected softly.

Murph turned his chair to face her. "Jill, I don't want to kill you, I don't want to do any of this. I just want to go home. You understand that, right?"

Jill nodded her head slightly. She perfectly understood wanting to go home. And the way this young man was acting, he must be feeling as trapped, helpless, and alone as she had lost by herself in the forest what seemed like weeks ago.

"Then why are doing this?" she asked gently.

Murph sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I don't have a choice. If it was up to me, I'd be in Mexico by now. Or in jail or- or I don't know."

"And in the woods?" Jill asked. "You tried to kill us in the woods. Did you not have a choice then either?"

"I-I thought I had to." he whispered back. He finished the rest of his drink and poured himself another. Scotch whiskey, Jill realized, taking a peek at the bottle. And that probably wasn't the only glass he'd had.

Apparently grateful for a listening ear no matter what the circumstances, Murph continued to talk without anymore prompting. "I didn't want to go to jail." he said simply. He laughed derisively and drained half of the contents of his glass. "I would have killed you and your friends and Laura because I didn't want to go to jail. And now I'm stuck here."

He finished his glass and poured yet another. The whiskey bottle swayed slightly and splashed a bit of the dark liquid onto the table but Murph didn't notice. He looked sick, disgusted with himself. "Can you believe that?" he asked, shaking his head in shame. "I would have taken five lives to keep from going to jail. And now I'm stuck here. And I don't want to kill anyone anymore. And I have to." he lamented.

He glanced miserably at Jill and then back at his full glass. "And I'll still end up going to jail." he finished quietly.

Jill listened to his remorseful rambling without interruption, wondering if she might be able to talk him into releasing her. It might just be possible, but she would have to be absolutely sure, gain his trust without him realizing she was manipulating him. And a part of her truly did feel sorry for him. She'd had made poor choices in friends before in life, and it had never led to good things. But never as bad as this situation seemed to be. He had stopped talking, but Jill decided he could be steered back into conversation without too much effort.

"What's your name?" she asked, summoning a kind smile.

Murph looked up, seeming to have forgotten she was sitting there and then looked away. "Brian." he answered. "My name is Brian."

Jill nodded her head. "Brian." she repeated. "I like that."

"But my last name is Murphy, so most people just call me Murph."

Jill smiled at him. "I like Brian better." she insisted.

Brian gave her a faint smile in return and then took another sip of his drink. "I saw you, you know." he said wistfully.

The confusion Jill felt wasn't an act. "You saw me?"

He nodded his head. "In the tree. That morning in the woods." he continued. "I saw you."

Jill's stomach lurched at the unexpected news. She was in far more danger now than she had been then, but it still disturbed and unsettled her. Yet, she kept these emotions off of her face. "Why didn't you say anything to Gary?" she asked instead.

Brian laughed. "You know why?" he muttered. "I'm afraid of heights. I didn't want to see you fall out of the tree and break your neck. Isn't that stupid?"

Jill tried to swallow away the taste of bile in her mouth and wished for more water. She shook off the sudden chill his revelation had give her. No time to lose focus.

"I bet it wasn't just that." she whispered. "I think you didn't want to see me killed."

Another laugh and Brian took a big swallow of his drink. "I don't know. You were the enemy. I tried to kill your friend a few hours later." he admitted, locking eyes with her. "What kind of man does that make me?"

"One that knows when he's made a mistake." Jill answered. "One that saved my life, for whatever reason."

Brian shrugged awkwardly in response and drained his glass.

"Brian, you can save my life again." Jill urged gently. "You can untie me and we can both get out of here before Gary comes back."

He looked back at her in surprise. His hands shook and he raised his empty glass to his lips, then groaned and reached for the bottle to refill it. Halfway to his glass, he changed his mind and slammed it back down.

"It's not that easy!" he cried, suddenly whirling in his chair to face her. "I can't just go!"

Jill leaned forward, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "Yes!" she shouted back. "Yes, you can! We can both leave! You don't have to be here anymore, Brian! We'll just go, call a cab, find my friends and get somewhere safe!"

Brian moaned and buried his face back in his hands again. His knees began to bounce frantically, his inner turmoil obvious in every movement he made. He sloshed some more whiskey into his glass and drained it in a single gulp.

Encouraged, Jill kept on talking. "Brian, you can tell the police everything! Help us catch Gary! They'll go easier on you if you just turn yourself in and cooperate. I can help you, I'm a private detective! You can still have a good life, Brian!"

Brian drained another glass and anxiously wiped his face with trembling hands. He started to pour another, then decided to just eliminate the middleman and took a few swigs directly from the bottle. When he was finished, he coughed and set the heavy bottle back down, refusing to acknowledge Jill's passionate plea. His eyes began to glisten and his face contorted in agony. He was doing his best not to cry.

"You've made so many bad choices, Brian, but it's not too late!" Jill urged desperately. "Make the right choice now while there's still time! You know it's the right thing to do!"

Brian chewed nervously on his thumbnail and then let out a long shaky breath. He turned and stared at Jill, his eyes glassy and full of pain and regret. She held her breath, waiting, hoping that she had gotten through to him.

The two continued staring at each other for what felt like ages, until finally Brian swallowed and nodded his head.

"Ok." he said quickly. "Ok, we'll go."

Jill nearly swallowed her tongue. "Yeah? We can go?" she asked quickly, desperate for confirmation.

Brian shoved the whiskey bottle away from him and nodded, a new determined look in his eyes, and even though she had been prepared to die just hours earlier, Jill dared to let herself believe she could survive this day.

* * *

"What happened? Where is she?" Kris blurted out, running up to her friends despite being ordered to stay in the car. "Did you find her?"

One look at Kelly and Sabrina's face gave her a clear answer, but she stubbornly waited to hear it in words before giving up hope.

"She wasn't there." Kelly muttered. "No one was there."

Kris exhaled slowly, fighting panic, tears, and the urge to break Laura's neck. Jill had little time as it was and they had just wasted over an hour on a tip that left them back where they had first started. Only several miles away from the scene and an hour less time.

She matched Kelly, Sabrina, and Laura's quick strides back to the car and climbed back into the backseat.

"What now?" she asked softly.

Neither Sabrina or Kelly could answer her. They sat in silence, staring out the window, without answers, without direction, without clues, and most painfully, without Jill. The atmosphere in the car was thick with despair.

Laura sat in the back, still as a statue, her hazel eyes locked on the floor. Her stupid idea may have just cost their friend her life, and the guilt was overwhelming, constricting her chest, and making it hard to breathe. She had tried to right a wrong and failed miserably. These girls had been depending on her and now, telling from their cold demeanors, probably were angry enough to kill her.

"Bri, Kelly-" Kris called again, her voice cracking. "-what do we do now?"

"I don't know." Sabrina answered back, frustration evident in her voice. She leaned her head back and massaged her temples with both hands. "Laura, do you know of any other place Gary might have taken her?"

Laura squirmed uncomfortably under the instant pressure the question put on her. "I- uh-" she stammered nervously.

"Think, Laura." Kelly added quietly. Her tone was emotionless, unreadable, and the fact that none of the three girls had looked her in the eye since discovering the apartments empty hadn't escaped Laura. She knew better than to try to dodge the question.

While she racked her brain, Kelly started the car and impatiently wheeled them off the curb and back onto the street.

Laura's eyes suddenly flashed.

"One of their places?" she blurted out. "Gary's or Murph's places?"

Sabrina and Kelly shared a quick look. That had occurred to them as well.

"Both of their places have been watched since they attacked us at Bri's apartment." Kelly said quickly. "I doubt they'd go there."

Laura's excitement was extinguished and she slumped back into her seat feeling more useless than ever. Of course their places were being watched. They were the convicts still on the run. Their homes would be the first place they'd go.

But three men had hunted them and only two were on the run.

"Emmitt's!" Laura shouted abruptly, startling everyone in the car. "What if they're at Emmitt's?"

Kelly and Sabrina glanced at each other.

"Where does he live?" Sabrina asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure there's a way to find out." Laura answered back excitedly.

Sabrina had already picked up the phone and was hurriedly dialing for information before she had even finished her sentence. It didn't take long before she had gotten both his address and directions to it from their location.

On a whim, Kelly had swung the vehicle around and bounced dangerously over a concrete median to change directions. Nobody seemed to notice the bumpy ride and seconds later, her maneuver proved to be an excellent bit of foresight.

Sabrina thanked whoever she was talking to and slammed the phone down.

"Take a left up here and keep going until you hit Main." she instructed. "We're about twenty minutes away."

Kelly narrowed her eyes and gave her car some more gas.

"Fifteen."

* * *

"We have to hurry, though." Brian said, looking around nervously. "Gary's on the warpath. He went back to your motel to find your friends and if he doesn't he could be back here any minute."

Jill fought back the urge to let out a whoop of joy. A relieved sigh was all she allowed herself. Brian slid out of his chair, crouched in front of her, and gently helped her turn her body. He hurriedly untied the knots binding her wrists and ankles and carefully pulled her to her feet.

Sore, numb, and still dizzy, Jill swayed unsteadily on her feet and would have pitched forward had Brian not caught her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and carefully led her out of the kitchen and into a small, sparsely decorated living room. Jill looked around in wonder. Which of the men lived here?

"Did he hurt you bad?" Brian asked, genuine concern in his voice. Jill smiled at him, touched. How this could be the man that had tracked her through the forest, shot at her friends, and helped in her kidnapping was baffling. He was being so gentle with her now.

"I'm alright." she answered him.

He smiled uncertainly and carefully brushed his knuckle against a scrape on her face. Jill looked away, realizing that she probably was still covered with blood and in no way looked alright. But nothing could be done about that now.

"I was a medic in Vietnam." he said almost shyly, as they trudged toward the front door. "I'll look you over as soon as we get away from here."

Jill nodded and flashed him as charming a smile as she could muster with her busted lip. "That's sweet of you, Brian."

He blushed, and opened the front door, revealing freedom in the surprising form of a normal low end subdivision. Seeing that Jill wouldn't be able to handle the three porch steps in her condition, Brian scooped her up in his arms and carried her down.

"We can take Emmitt's jeep." he whispered, gesturing toward a dark green military looking vehicle parked on the curb. Jill simply nodded into his shoulder, drained, exhausted and more than ready to fall asleep.

Brian opened the jeep's door, gently lowered her into the front seat, and tucked a blanket around her shoulders, before hurrying around to the driver's side. Jill leaned her head back, grateful for a comfortable place to rest and still in awe at how her luck had changed. Brian would take her back to her friends and Kris, lead police to Gary, they would find Laura, and this whole nightmare would finally be over.

Would it really be that easy? After all she had been through, it seemed laughably impossible to imagine.

Jill opened her eyes at the slight rocking caused by Brian jumping into the driver's seat. While he fumbled with the keys, she let her eyes wander lazily around her surroundings.

They widened in horror as she did.

"Brian!" Jill gasped, frantically reaching out and clutching his arm. Brian looked up, startled by her sudden cry, and let out a low curse.

Both of their eyes rested on Gary's black Buick Regal coasting to a stop in front of them.

It wouldn't be that easy and her ordeal had just gotten far, far worse than she could have ever imagined.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Get out of the car!" Gary screeched, stalking towards them, his quivering gun leveled at them both. "Get out of the fucking car or so help me God, I'll kill you both right here!"

Jill unconsciously clung to Brian's arm in fear, unable to tear her eyes away from the approaching man. Gary's face was an evil, inhuman mask, flushed a bright scarlet and twisted with so much hate, betrayal, and outrage that he looked like a completely different person.

"Go, Brian!" Jill choked out, shaking his arm. "Go, go, go!"

Brian, wide eyed and horrified, was jarred out of his trance and with a flick of his wrist, quickly brought the engine to life with a powerful roar.

But, Gary was faster. Jill shrieked and instinctively flung her arms over her face as three gunshots rang out. Her wide eyes darted over to Brian to see if he had been killed right in front of her, but he was sitting upright, his face chalk white and expression blank.

A loud hissing caught Jill's attention and her stomach flipped as she realized that Gary had shot out the front two tires of their only escape. The jeep sagged forward uselessly as if bowing in submission to the approaching madmen. And with two more strides, Gary was at Brian's door, jamming his gun right into his friend's face.

"Get out!" he bellowed. "I said get out!"

Brian raised both hands in surrender. "Gary, man, what- what are you doin-?"

His attempt at playing dumb was cut off with a sudden blow to the face. His head rocked to the side and he immediately shrank back, his face shielded in the crook of his elbow.

"Shut up! You're a fucking traitor!" Gary seethed, yanking the door open. "Get out of the car!"

Left with no choice but to obey, Murph slid out of the driver's seat, hands still raised in surrender. With the gun still at his temple, Gary forced him backwards until both men were standing back on the sidewalk.

"Gary." he stammered desperately. "It's not what it looks like, man."

Gary ignored him, his focus shifted entirely to Jill in the passenger seat. She readily complied by opening her door, but didn't seem to act fast enough for him. He reached up, wrapped a handful of her blonde hair in his fist and yanked her roughly from the jeep. She kicked her feet desperately to keep her balance, but landed on her injured knee and, unable to support her weight, collapsed in a heap on the scraggly grass of the curbside.

"Get up!" Gary shouted, aiming an angry kick at her side. Jill yelped in pain, but using the side of the jeep, managed to scramble to her feet quick enough to avoid more punishment.

"Back inside." Gary whispered, his chest heaving with emotion. "Back inside now."

Brian immediately moved forward, draped an arm around Jill's shoulder and helped her back through the front lawn, up the three porch steps, and back into the house. Gary's pistol dug into his back the entire way as a very effective warning to not try anything. They crossed the threshold side by side, quietly and hopelessly. The house seemed darker now, drearier, much more foreboding than five minutes ago and Jill wondered if she would ever leave it again.

"In the kitchen." Gary barked, slamming the door shut behind him. "Both of you in the kitchen."

Jill started to tremble, and to her surprise, Brian tightened his arm around her. He couldn't do much to help her or himself now, but Jill gratefully accepted the last bit of comfort he could give her and squeezed his arm in return.

"I'm sorry." he whispered in her ear. His voice quavered on the edge of breaking and Jill could almost feel the despair in his tone. She squeezed his arm again.

"Tie her up." Gary ordered loudly. "Now."

Brian looked back at his best friend with pleading eyes. "Gar- come on, man." he started.

"I said tie her up!" he snarled, shoving Brian angrily.

"Ok, man." Brian whispered, stepping back. "Ok, I'm going, I'm going."

He lowered Jill into a laying position, facedown on the floor. For her part, she simply crossed her wrists behind her back for him without resistance. She didn't dare. Gary was far too angry and wouldn't think twice about putting a bullet in each of their heads.

"I'm sorry, Jill." Brian whimpered as he tied her wrists together. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." she whispered back bravely. "We'll get out of here somehow."

"Shut up!" Gary shouted, thumping Brian on the back of his head. He flinched, but said nothing in return and with trembling hands, finished tying Jill's wrists and ankles. The moment he was done, Gary stepped forward and pushed him away. Cursing under his breath, he pawed at Jill's wrists to check the knots Brian had made. Apparently his handiwork was acceptable, because he gave Jill's head a shove and rose back to feet.

"Women." he spat at Brian. "Fucking women. You always lose your goddamn mind over anything with tits."

Brian kept his mouth shut, and his crazed mind still looking for a direction to channel his anger, Gary whirled around and aimed a hard kick at Jill's side. Her ribs were still burning and throbbing from the previous blow and this time he kicked her even harder. She cried out and curled into a ball, anticipating more.

"Gary, c'mon man-" Brian pleaded, helplessly wringing his hands in front of him. It was a desperate attempt to pull Gary's attention away from the helpless young woman and he succeeded, though immediately regretted it the moment his best friend locked eyes with him. Gary's blue eyes were bloodshot, the two colors a frightening contrast. They looked wild, bearing into him like twin lasers, burning him with their hate.

"You let her get to you!" Gary snarled at him, giving his chest a hard shove. "You don't know how to think for yourself and you let her mess with your goddamn head!"

Brian shrank back. "No, Gar-" he choked. "No, she was gonna take me to her friends."

The lie sounded weak even in his ears and he immediately shielded his face. The defensive maneuver didn't come nearly fast enough. Gary's right fist shot out and clocked him soundly on the chin, sending him stumbling backwards. He caught himself on one of the kitchen chairs and regained his balance.

"You fucking liar!" Gary shouted, his face darkening again. "You're lying to me, Brian!"

Brian's lip was bleeding, but he didn't dare move to stop it. "No!" he whimpered. "No, c'mon-"

But Gary's tirade was far from being calmed by a few words.

"Shut your goddamned lying mouth!" Gary yelled shrilly. Though his face was contorted in rage, his eyes glistened and his voice cracked as if fighting angry tears. "You lied to me!" His voice suddenly dropped to a shaky whisper. "You're supposed to be my best friend and you're lying to me, Brian?"

Brian looked like he wanted to cry as well, but for very different reasons. He paced restlessly back and forth the same few feet of kitchen floor as Gary hurled the vicious accusations at him, wringing his hands in front of him in a perfect snapshot of guilt. "Gary-" he pleaded weakly. "Please-"

"Over a girl?" Gary's rant continued, growing louder and higher pitched as went on. "You double cross me- Me! You're best friend since fucking fourth grade! You double cross me for the first blonde you see?"

"Gary, no man, I-"

It was as if Brian had just disappeared. Gary whirled around to Jill like she was only other person in the room and jammed the barrel of his gun into her temple. She swallowed the shriek that tried to escape her throat and stared at his face, not daring to move.

"This is your fault!" he hissed at her. "Your fault!"

"Gary-" Brian pleaded.

"What?" Gary shouted back, turning around. "This is why you're lying, right? A pretty girl? " He pressed the gun harder into her temple, and Jill clenched her jaw and tried to control her breathing.

Brian watched her helplessly, agony on his face. "No, Gar- I- I'm sorry- please-"

"But what if I get rid of her?" Gary asked, as if revealing a secret plan. The anger had abruptly disappeared from his voice. His face and voice now held all the wonder of a school boy. "No more lying right? Yeah, Brian? I can trust you again? We'll be best friends again?"

Jill shut her eyes tight and tensed every muscle in her body as the men argued. The gun barrel was still digging firmly against a bruise that was already on her head, but she couldn't feel the pain. Her heart pounded and she felt like being sick.

"C'mon Gar, don't hurt her-" Brain begged again. "Please listen to me. You can trust me now, just don't hurt her."

"I can?" Gary asked again, his tone eerily innocent. "I can trust you now?"

"Yes!" Brian shouted loudly, thinking himself to be gaining ground. "Yes, you can trust me! Just leave her alone, man!"

Gary stared at the desperate look on Brian's face and started to chuckle. A low chuckle that started deep in his throat and slowly grew louder and louder until Gary's entire body was shaking, his wild, hyena like laughter echoing off the walls of the little kitchen. Jill and Brian watched, not knowing what to do or say, not knowing what he was capable of next.

"You're lying, Brian." Gary sang, wagging the gun at him in a scolding gesture . "If I leave her alive, you'll turn on me again. I don't blame you. She's prettier than I am, huh?"

He turned, yanked Jill off the floor by her hair, and shoved her up against the wall. Her head bounced off painfully, but she hardly felt it.

"You must be a genius. What'd you say to him, huh?" Gary asked conversationally. When Jill could only whimper a response, his face immediately darkened. He swept his hand back in a wide arc and slapped her brutally across the face. His moods were like television channels, flicking back and forth at the whim of some unseen force.

"I'm asking you a fucking question!" he shrieked at her, all the explosive rage and fury sweeping back over him in an instant. "Answer me!"

"Please." Jill pleaded pitifully. "Please, I di-"

Gary's hand closed around her throat and Jill felt her air supply instantly cut off.

"You don't wanna answer? Maybe I can make it where you can't talk anymore." Gary said quietly, his voice eerily calm now. He jammed his thumb into her windpipe and began to apply an unbearable amount of pressure. "Can I do that? Then you won't be able to spread your filthy lies."

Jill gurgled and coughed, but could do nothing to defend herself. Her face began to take on a purplish red hue as Gary mercilessly crushed her windpipe, his powerful fingers like a constricting python, steadily increasing pressure, never relenting. "Or maybe I'll just kill you right now." he whispered with a cruel smile. "What do you think? Do you deserve that for making him lie to me?"

"Gary stop!" Brian shouted anxiously. "Stop it!"

Gary ignored him, seemingly captivated by the fading life in his victim's eyes. Jill began to thrash and kick, but his grip was too tight for that to have any effect. Brian continued yelling behind her, but it was getting harder and harder to understand. Slowly, her vision began to darken, tunneling towards the center of her line of sight where Gary was watching her in silent wonder, until all she could see was a faint pinprick of light. She couldn't move anymore, her lungs burned, her ears hummed with electricity.

And suddenly she could breathe.

She toppled to the ground, gasping and coughing, desperately sucking air into her burning lungs. There was a scuffle right next to her and she forced herself to stay conscious to see what was happening. Brian and Gary were wrestling on the floor, cursing and throwing punches, knocking down one of the kitchen chairs as they brawled across the kitchen floor.

The gun was laying next to her where Gary had dropped it, but even if she had the use of her hands, Jill wouldn't have been able to grab it. She sucked lungful after lungful of life giving oxygen, trying to recover enough to speak.

"The gun!" she croaked, her voice cracked and weak from the abuse. "Brian, the gun!"

Whether or not he heard her, she never knew. The fight was over almost as soon as the words left her mouth. Gary landed a hard punch to the side of Brian's head, sending him reeling to the floor.

Jill's hope of survival fell right along with him.

The victor was on his feet immediately, shoulders heaving, breathing harsh and labored. He watched his friend writhe on the floor in defeat for a second before turning around and snatching the gun off of the floor.

"Get up!" he panted.

Brian slowly climbed to his feet, warily watching the gun in Gary's hand. The two men stood panting in an intense but silent standstill.

"You fucking traitor." Gary whispered, his voice dripping with disgust.

"Gary, no- c'mon man-"Brian started weakly. "Look, we don't have to do this."

"You make me sick." Gary sneered, spitting out every word like it was poison. He spat at Brian's shoes to emphasize his point. "You traitor. You fucking coward."

Brian shook his head. "Gary- Gary, we don't have to go to jail." he pleaded. "Let's just go, I don't care about her. We'll leave her here and we'll just go- to Mexico and- and that'll be it."

Gary remained silent for a moment and seeing a thin sliver of hope, Brian rambled on.

"Let's go right now- me and you Gar- we don't have to hurt anybody else. We'll call someone to get her and be on our way to the border before they can even get here. C'mon, bro- it doesn't have to be like this."

There wasn't another warning. No threats, no toying, no taunting. Gary simply lifted his gun directly in the middle of Brian's face and fired.

It happened before Jill had time to realize what was going to happen. Brian's face twisted in horror for only the briefest of moments before being blown almost completely away. Blood spattered the wall behind him, the fine pink mist spraying onto the cabinets, the floor, the table, covering an almost impossible amount of space.

She watched his body crumple to the floor, limp and lifeless, a puppet who's strings had been cut. His mangled face bounced against the cold linoleum floor and came to rest a mere two feet from her, Brian's head lolling toward her, his eyes wide yet unseeing, his mouth frozen in an eternal O of horror.

And she began to scream. Loud, piercing screams of terror.

"Shut up!" Gary yelled shrilly. He stared at Brian's body, his eyes widening in horror, as if just realizing what he had done, then whirled around on Jill. "Shut up! Shut your goddamned mouth!"

Horrified, Jill scooted away from Brian's lifeless gaze, panting and gasping, her heart constricting in terror. Gary appeared to have forgotten she was there for the time being. He was pacing anxiously around Brian's body, his hands laced over his head. He let out a gut wrenching wail of agony and in a fit of rage, began to destroy everything in reach. Plates and coffee cups were swept off of the kitchen table, shattering in thousands of white porcelein pieces. The mismatched chairs and table were over turned in his frenzy, one chair smashed violenty against the refrigerator door. A stainless steel skillet went flying through the kitchen and embedded itself deep inside the wallpaper and white sheetrock of the back wall.

Jill watched in silent shock, dodging pieces of glass and splinters of wood, until after a moment, Gary stopped screaming and sobbing and resumed his earlier pacing.

"Oh my God." he moaned to himself, staring at Brian's face. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."

While he paced, Jill turned and, finally overcome by both the smell of blood and what she had just seen, violently emptied her stomach on the floor beside her. The sound of her being sick caught Gary's attention. He turned to her, shoulders still heaving, and his face blotchy red and contorted in agony.

"Look what you made me do!" he screamed at her, tears welling up in his eyes. "You killed him!"

Jill let out a ragged breath and looked helplessly back at him. "No-" she panted, shaking her head furiously. "No- I'm sorry-"

But Gary's raving wasn't done. Killing his best friend had wiped out all the sanity left inside of him, and whatever happened next was completely up to his twisted logic. He rushed forward, seized a handful of Jill's hair and savagely yanked her forward.

Jill cried out in pain and shut her eyes tightly.

"Look what you did!" Gary shrieked at her. "Look!"

He was shoving her forward toward Brian's body, pushing her face into the torn and bloody mess that used to be his. Jill squeezed her eyes shut. It was like a grotesque painting. A van Gogh gone wrong. His eyes and mouth completely intact, but nothing recognizable in between, as if the sunken pit in the middle of his face had been filled with raw, bloody hamburger. The blood pooling around him steadily spread until the outer edge began to soak through the denim fabric covering her knees. Jill squealed in terror and tried in vain to squirm away.

"Look!" Gary ordered, swatting her head angrily. "Open your eyes and look at what you made me do!"

He kept hitting her, forcing her to open her eyes, until she finally did. Her stomach immediately lurched again, and she retched loudly but there was nothing left inside.

"You messed with his head!" Gary continued to rave, his voice getting higher and higher. "You ruined him! You made me kill him!"

Jill was crying now, frightened tears spilling down her cheeks and mingling with the blood on the floor. "Stop!" she choked. "Please stop, please stop!"

With a high pitched and savage cry, Gary flung her away. Her back thudded against the wall and once more Gary was crouched in front of crushing her throat in one hand.

"This is your fault." he whispered at her, his jaw quivering. "You made me kill my best friend."

Jill shut her eyes tight, praying that her upcoming death would be as painless as possible. But it quickly became obvious that Gary wasn't going to allow this.

"How am I going to punish you?" he asked her softly, studying her with chilling thoughtfulness. "What am I gonna do?"

Jill whimpered and shrank back from him, still shaking in terror and crying silent tears.

Gary smiled at her, released the pressure on her throat, and tenderly brushed the hair out of her face. Jill cringed at his touch, her heart racing so fast she thought it would surely give out.

Gary tilted his head curiously and reached a hand into his back pocket. "Have you ever wondered when you would die?" he asked intently.

Not knowing what else to do, Jill shook her head. To her horror, Gary's hand emerged from his pocket with a large hunting knife. He clicked it open, revealing a long, sharp looking blade. "Have you ever woken up in the morning and thought to yourself- Am I going to die today?"

Jill choked back a sob and again shook her head. "Of course not." he laughed. Gary grinned at her and raised the knife to lightly trace the soft curves of her cheekbones. "I have." Gary continued. His previously calm face began to darken. "When I was in Vietnam, everyday I woke up in that shithole and thought to myself, is this the day that I'm going to die? Is some Charlie going to blow my goddamn head off today?" He looked overly thoughtful for moment before tracing the knife along Jill's lips. Trembling violently, she clenched her jaw and turned her face as much as she could.

"I bet Brian didn't think that this morning when he woke up." Gary mused. "Then he wouldn't have let you get in his head and I wouldn't have had to-" he broke off right there, either unable or unwilling to say it and brought the tip of his blade under Jill's eyes, the smooth metal catching her tears.

"Did you think you would die today when you woke up?" he asked in a conversational tone. "Did you think that, sweetheart?"

"N-no." Jill whimpered. Her heart was surely going to explode now and she desperately wished it would and spare her from anymore terrorizing.

Gary gave a boyish little laugh and pulled the knife away. "You should have."

Jill closed her eyes tightly, spilling fresh, unshed tears down her cheeks. Part of her pleaded for him just to plunge the knife into her heart and get it over with, anything to stop the torture.

"First, though, your sister shot my leg-" he started. He then laughed and rocked on his heels, twirling the knife in his hands. "-and I gotta tell you- it hurt a lot. Completely ruined my day."

The knife lowered and traced a circle around Jill's knee. Both legs began to shake nervously, adrenaline controlling them now.

"And now-" Gary chuckled. "-and now I'm going to ruin your's."

He clutched the knife firmly, and before Jill had time to brace herself, raised it high over his head and plunged it straight down toward her thigh.

* * *

"There!" Kris whispered tersely. "There it is! That's the car!"

Kelly pulled to a stop across the street from a one story, slightly unkempt home. The black Buick was hastily parked across the driveway, crooked and with one tire up on the curb and for some reason in front of it a green jeep with two flat front tires.

The two vehicles stood like two pieces of an unsolved puzzle and the girls had no idea what to make of it.

"Is that Emmitt's jeep?" Kelly asked. "Or is someone else here?"

Laura nodded her head. "Yeah, I think that's his."

"Kris, call the police." Sabrina whispered, handing her friend the phone extension. "Tell them there might be a hostage situation and to not come in charging like a herd of rhinos or they might get someone hurt."

Kris nodded slightly and accepted the phone, her eyes fixated on the house in front of her where her sister could be. Sabrina had fumbled over the last word in her sentence and purposely inserted "hurt" in the place of "killed." That, of course, had been for her benefit as the younger sister. And though Sabrina tried to somewhat spare her from reality, she knew all too well the direness of the situation.

Was Jill still alive? Hurt? Scared? Once again, not knowing began to drive her crazy and she fought back the increasing feeling of panic tightening her chest.

While Kris dialed, Kelly and Sabrina got out of the car, weapons drawn and began to cautiously approach the house from the side, straying away from the windows though the shades were drawn.

Not knowing what they'd find, the girls tried to peek inside, but all windows were completely blocked. The house was silent, even the air was still, humid, suffocating. Nothing had yet given them legitimate cause to fear the worst, but everything about this house did just that.

"Front door." Kelly whispered, catching Sabrina's attention. "Check it, we might be able to sneak in. I'll go around the back and see if I can get a peek inside."

Sabrina nodded and crept quietly underneath the windows, pressed as close to the siding of the house to keep from being noticed by a casual glance from inside. She carefully slid her slim body through the wooden beams of the porch and, still in a crouch, reached up and tested the door knob.

To her great surprise, it turned easily in her hand. She let it go and wiped the nervous sweat on her palms down the front of her shirt. She would slink around the back, find Kelly, and both of them might have a chance to take whoever was in there by surprise.

And there just had to be someone in there. Jill had to be inside, she didn't know if she could take another dead end.

Or if Jill could.

Being as silent as possible to avoid the faded wood from creaking, Sabrina again climbed out the gap she had come through to find Kelly. Halfway through, a loud piercing scream emanated shrilly from within the house. Sabrina froze, her breath catching in her throat.

It was Jill. Without a doubt that was Jill.

She had heard Jill scream her unique high pitched scream many times before, whether in play, surprise or anger, but she had never heard her scream like this before. Abandoning stealth, Sabrina untangled herself from the porch railing and scrambled to her feet.

Jill's scream had been one of sheer terror and she could only hope time had not already run out for her.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The knife swung down at her, briefly glinting the overheard kitchen light in its cold steel. It was too fast to react to and Jill could only sit in wide eyed terror and watch it sink into her leg, slice through the tendons and muscles, sever her femoral artery.

But it didn't do anything of those things.

Gary stopped the blade in midair just before plunging it deep into her thigh. The sharp tip of his knife instead sunk into her leg just enough to pierce the skin. Jill let out a strangled wail of both pain, relief, and fear. He was doing it on purpose, torturing her for sadistic pleasure. Jill stared in shock at the stinging pain in her thigh, then at the dark circle that emerged a second later and slowly began to spread around the wound.

She felt like she was choking, her chest was heaving, and her breaths coming in short, wheezing gasps.

"Stop!" she gasped at him. "Just stop! Please, stop!"

Gary laughed. "Stop?" he asked in puzzlement. He stuck her again a few inches away from the first wound and she screamed and kicked her legs wildly in a desperate attempt to get away from him. "Stop? No, I don't wanna stop, we're having fun."

"Oh God, please!-" Jill panted, tears streaming down her face. "-please, please stop!"

"No, not yet." Gary said thoughtfully. "Not yet, I'm not done." He snapped his fingers and his face brightened in an over exaggerated moment of genius. "Hey! I have an idea!" he said cheerfully. "How about I make your face just like Brian's?"

Jill moaned and began to thrash against her restraints.

Gary looked hurt. "Oh, c'mon, it'll be fun." he pouted. He reached up and took hold of Jill's face with one strong hand. "You're such great friends, I think you deserve the same treatment."

Jill looked on in silent horror as Gary, eye contact never faltering, picked up the dropped gun and slowly raised it to her face. She began to shake uncontrollably, sweat beading on her forehead and dripping down the sides of her face, her back, her neck. It seemed useless to plead or beg for her life so she shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable, hoping and praying that it would be quick.

An empty hollow click echoed through the messy kitchen.

Jill opened her eyes and let out the breath she'd been holding in a string of curses, desperately gasping in air.

"Damn." Gary said simply, examining the gun as if it was a broken toy. He smiled at Jill's obvious terror. Her body was coursing with adrenaline, trembling violently. She felt nauseous, faint. Her head swam and her heart pounded, her tolerance quickly approaching her limit, screaming inwardly for escape in whatever form it came in.

"Bang!" Gary shouted, suddenly lunging at her. She shrieked and he burst into delighted laughter.

"Gotta go shopping." Gary said with a laugh. He tossed the gun away, took up his knife again and tilted her face up and down, an artist thoughtfully studying his blank canvas. "Oh well, this might be more fun. You ready to look like Brian?" he asked innocently.

Her harsh breathing through clenched teeth was his only answer. His strong grip tightened against her jawline, carelessly digging fingertip shaped bruises on her face, and gently laid the sharp knife across the bridge of her nose.

"Can I carve up your pretty face now?" he asked calmly. He sunk the blade in, just enough to break the delicate skin on her nose. "Are you ready?"

And with that sudden sharp pain, Jill reached her breaking point.

She let out a shrill, high pitched scream and began to jerk backwards frantically, kicking and thrashing against him. Her sudden movement startled Gary and he jerked back as well.

"Shut up!" he snarled. But Jill was panicking now, desperate for escape, no long capable of rational thought. At a loss, he grabbed up the bloodstained towel that had been discarded nearby and forced it back into her mouth. She continued screaming, not caring her cries were now muffled.

This was unacceptable. This infuriated him, broke his concentration, ruined his game. How could he have fun this raving lunatic? "Quit your goddamn screaming!" he shouted at her. She wasn't listening to him and this too infuriated him so he began to hit her over and over again, blows so hard they hurt his hand, made his palms tingle and go numb, but it had no effect. She continued screaming and flailing against his wishes. Finally deciding that she was no longer going to sit still for him, he flung her to the floor and pinned her down with one knee.

She could be salvaged. This could still be fun. He shoved the side of her face against the cold linoleum and readied his knife.

A gunshot exploded behind him, splintering into the stained, discolored ceiling and exposing the contrasting white sheetrock beneath it.

Gary whirled around in surprise to see the tall dark haired young woman who's face he knew so well. In one fluid motion, he yanked Jill in front of him, using her as a human shield and jerked the knife toward her throat. White dust rained down from the damaged ceiling as Gary locked eyes with this new challenger.

"Let her go." Sabrina said in a quiet, emotionless voice.

"I'll cut her head off." Gary hissed. He pressed the blade into Jill's throat as evidence.

"Police are on their way, Gary, don't make it worse." Sabrina said calmly. "Just let her go."

Her voice was calm, but inside she was storming with rage. The first section of the kitchen her eyes had seen upon sneaking inside was the grisly blood spattered wall and for the split second she thought Jill had been killed, her world had been shattered and Gary's death planned a hundred different ways. Murph's body had come into view immediately after and then finally Gary and Jill.

Sabrina stared hard at Gary, trying not to let herself be distracted by the horrors the kitchen had to offer. She had no clue what had happened, but clearly Jill had not pulled the trigger, so Gary must have lost his mind and his rampage had claimed his partner. She looked at Jill. Her best friend was beaten, bloodied, and scared out of her mind, but alive. For now. As much as it killed her, there was nothing she could do that would gaurantee Gary wouldn't still kill her.

Gary's eyes darted from Sabrina to the room behind her. She was the only one he could see, but that didn't mean she was the only one. They were here, but the situation was all wrong, not how he planned it, the power and control not fully in his hands and his mind raced frantically to process it. "Get out of here!" he snapped nervously at her.

Sabrina ignored him.

"Jill? Are you alright?"

Jill, her mind spinning and whirring to comprehend what had just happened, finally realized her friend was in front of her. An overwhelming sense of urgency jolted through her. Escape was so close and only Gary stood in the way. She cried out frantically to Sabrina.

Sabrina swallowed hard, torn by the terror in her voice. Jill was gagged, her speech muffled, but it was easy to understand what she was saying. In case she hadn't, Jill managed to spit out the towel and repeated herself a second later without restraint.

"Shoot him!" Jill screamed wildly. "Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

"Shut up!" Gary hollered over her. He was rattled now, his voice shaky, distressed by both Jill's screaming and the woman with the gun.

"Sabrina, shoot him!" Jill cried again. Her eyes were wild, filled with primal terror.

"Gary, let her go!" Sabrina warned. "It doesn't have to be like this!"

It doesn't have to be like this?

Gary suddenly howled in agony, remembering Brian's final words to him. "No! No!" he screamed, slicing the knife through the air that separated them. "Yes it does, yes it does! Just shut up! Shut your goddamned mouth!"

Jill began to twist and her frantic movements sent Sabrina's heart racing, fearing that in her own desperation, she would fall forward and slit her own throat.

"Oh, Sabrina! Shoot him!" Jill sobbed.

Sabrina felt beads of sweat break out on her brow. How would this end? When would this end?

"Jill! Calm down, you need to stop moving!" she called out uselessly, feeling the situation slipping out of what little control she had over it. Gary was still bawling, Jill screaming and thrashing, and for a brief moment Sabrina felt like she would lose her mind too. She kept her gun leveled, hoping for a shot, but neither Gary nor Jill's panicked squirming were helping her.

"Shoot him, Sabrina!" Jill gasped again, thrashing wildly. "Shoot! Shoot!"

"Jill, stop moving!" Sabrina snapped. In her frustration, she took a step forward.

Gary was immediately in control of himself.

"No!" he hollered, spraying flecks of spit from his mouth. "Don't you move! Don't you take another fucking step!" He moved forward and pressed the blade of his knife harder against Jill's throat. The combination of that and her thrashing made the sharp edge of the blade nick her soft skin. Jill yelped and finally went still, her chest heaving and her body trembling.

"Jill!" Sabrina cried, her voice starting to lose it's composure. "Jill, be calm, it's gonna be alright." She watched a few drops of blood trickle down Jill's exposed throat, slide down her collarbone and soak into her shirt. Would she be able to save her?

"Shut up!" Gary screamed. "Shut up!"

Sabrina raised a hand to calm him. "Hey! Ok, ok, I'll shut up, Gary." she said quickly. "Just listen, it doesn't have to be like this. You can let her go."

Gary stepped forward with Jill again, a strange smile on his face. "No, no, no. No, I can't." he whispered, shaking his head. "I won't go to jail."

Sabrina swallowed. "Ok. Let her go, Gary. We can talk."

Gary shook his head. "No, we can't." he whispered. His entire demeanor changed and sensing what was coming, Jill began to squirm again.

"Please shoot him, Sabrina." she sobbed desperately.

"Gary-."

"This is what will happen. I'm not stupid." Gary whispered, moving forward again. "If I let her go, you'll kill me." He roughly yanked Jill's head back by her hair, unintentionally setting her off again.

"Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" Jill screamed, bucking and twisting. Gary had unconsciously lowered the knife and her thrashing was causing it to slice her shoulder and collarbone.

Sabrina sucked in a breath. This was all just spiraling out of control so fast. "Gary no." she cried desperately. "I'm not going to shoot you! Let's talk, Gary! Talk to me!"

Gary jerked the knife back into place and again Jill went still, though she continued her whimpering and shaking. "You'll shoot me." he whispered, angrily shaking Jill and yanking her head back again. "Look at your face. You hate me. If I let her go, you'll shoot me, you know you will."

"Just shoot him, Sabrina, shoot!" Jill wailed. Her neck was smeared with blood and her voice hoarse, breaking and panicked.

"No, Gary!" Sabrina snapped. She would be forced to take a shot, she would have to and if she missed and didn't kill Jill with her bullet, he would kill her instead. It was a potential tragedy waiting to happen no matter how it played out. Would Jill die tonight? Would she have to watch her best friend die? She swallowed hard, trying to fight down the impending hysteria and put some conviction in her voice. "I won't shoot you, Gary."

"Yeah you will." Gary laughed. "And why should I die without taking one of you with me?"

"Sabrina!" Jill wailed again. "Shoot the bastard!"

Gary took one last step forward and Sabrina felt bile rise up in the back of her throat. There was a sudden glint of resolution in his eyes. He was going to kill her. His face curled into a sadistic smile and his wrist twitched.

"No!" Sabrina cried frantically. She raised her gun, took a quick step forward, prayed that she would succeed.

But she wasn't given the chance.

An explosion of shattering glass crashed from the kitchen window and all three turned in surprise. Kelly's face was visible through the broken glass, her green eyes glittering dangerously in the sunlight, cold and unforgiving, arms extended and gun pointed directly at him. Sabrina sucked in a breath and watched in wide eyed horror. That was a very aggressive and possibly foolish distraction. Whatever happened, she was now merely a spectator.

Gary backed away, spinning Jill around to face them both. "You'll hit your friend!" he warned Kelly, grinning arrogantly. "You can't shoot or you'll hit her!"

His crazed eyes flicked from Sabrina to Kelly's guns and the tension suddenly became too much for him. He jerked his elbow up, moving to gash the blade right across Jill's throat in one last display of defiance. And then Sabrina saw it. The slight widening of his eyes, his pupils constricting, his cocky grin fading. The quick flash of realization that crossed his face. She couldn't read his mind, but she didn't need to to know that the instant before Kelly fired, Gary Moore knew he was going to die.

Negotiating was over and Kelly didn't try. She didn't speak at all. Her aim was deadly accurate, speaking for both her and Sabrina. The gunshot echoed in the little kitchen and without a sound Gary and Jill pitched backwards to the floor.

* * *

Two shots.

Two shots had been fired. What did that mean? Had Kelly and Sabrina taken out Murph and Gary? Or was it the other way around? If Kelly and Sabrina had been shot, then surely a third would have fired again for Jill.

If Jill had even been alive when they arrived.

"Kris, no!"

Kris shrugged off Laura's arm and threw open the car door. She had to know, there was no more waiting in the car like a child.

"Kris, you can't!" Laura pleaded, taking firm hold of her arm. "You're going to get hurt!"

"Let me go!" Kris growled at her, shoving her angrily away. But Laura was stronger than she looked. She held Kris fast.

"Stop!" Laura snapped, yanking her backwards. "You don't even have a weapon! What are you going to do?"

Kris stopped and stared longingly at the house where her sister and two friends could be lying dead. "Laura-" The words died on her tongue and not knowing how to replace them, she stopped talking. Both girls turned as sirens suddenly came in earshot, still quite a bit of distance away, but slightly reassuring all the same.

"Cops will be here in a few minutes." Laura whispered. "You just have to wait."

She looked nervous and upset as well and Kris softened and let herself be pulled back to the car. Laura crawled into the backseat and looked expectantly up at her friend. Refusing to give up and get back in the car, but knowing she couldn't go barging in, Kris settled for standing stubbornly by Kelly's car and staring at the house, thousands of scenarios and results bouncing around in her head. Laura was right. They were just going to have to wait.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Sabrina jumped as the gunshot cracked through the kitchen, knocking both Jill and Gary to the floor. Her eyes darted to the window where Kelly was standing, her gun still held out in front of her, a thin wisp of smoke curling up from the tip of the barrel. It had all happened so fast, she felt like her head was spinning. Was it really over? A small part of her refused to believe it.

She looked where the two had fallen, both lying in a slowly expanding pool of blood. The pool reached and then seamlessly merged with Murph's blood creating one single lake of death. Another look back at the window and Kelly was gone.

Jill.

Sabrina forced herself to move.

She holstered her gun, rushed forward and threw herself to her knees beside Jill and Gary. Both their eyes were wide open, Gary's staring straight at her, though the neat round hole between them told her that he could no longer see. Sabrina swallowed hard and looked away. It was over, and now all that remained was assessing the damage.

Being careful not to touch or look at Gary's body, she steeled herself and placed a trembling hand on Jill's forehead. Jill's blue eyes were wide open, her pretty face spattered with Gary's blood. Sabrina felt bile rise up in her throat. There was so much blood and no way to tell who it belonged to. Jill was eerily silent and a horrible thought wrenched Sabrina's stomach. Had she been hit? Had he slit her throat on his way down?

"Jill?" Sabrina called, wiping at her face. To her relief, Jill's eyes swiveled towards her.

"Are you alright?" she asked urgently. But Jill didn't seem to hear, her vacant stare locked on some unknown point of focus directly above her. She wasn't even blinking and Sabrina's stomach gave another lurch, realizing she might be seriously injured or even dying.

"Jill?" Sabrina whispered fearfully. "Honey, can you hear me?" Jill lay still, panting, eyes still fixed on the ceiling

"Is she ok?"

Sabrina jumped, momentarily startled by Kelly bursting in through the back door. "I- I dunno, Kell. She's breathing." she answered her.

"I didn't hit her, I couldn't have." Kelly said quickly. She dropped down on her knees by Jill and Gary's other side.

Sabrina shook her head. "No." she agreed slowly, watching Kelly in wonder. It was always hard gauging what Kelly's reaction would be in any given situation, and though she certainly hadn't expected any over remorseful sorrow or guilt, she had at least expected something. Gary Moore may not have been a pillar of the community, but Kelly seemed completely unaffected by taking his life. Though she he couldn't have fathomed another way for it to happen it was still a bit shocking. Kelly loved her and only seeing the warm, funny, and gentle side of her, it was easy to forget how unemotional and ruthless her best friend could be when provoked.

Kelly's eyes suddenly caught her staring, the same dark, cold look in them. "I wasn't going to let him kill her." she said simply, sensing her friend's unsettled disposition. Sabrina nodded. "I know. Good shot." she replied, and both girls turned their focus back on Jill.

"Jill?" Kelly called. She gently patted her cheek, but Jill still didn't respond. Gary's arm was draped across her neck, lying just as they were standing before he was killed. As if just noticing him for the first time, Kelly scowled and shoved his arm off of her, like it was trash. "Let's get this bastard away from her." she growled.

Sabrina moved to help untangle them and both girls jerked back with alarmed gasps as a bloody cut revealed itself across Jill's throat. Kelly hurriedly clamped a hand over it, her eyes darting up at Sabrina in concern. Sabrina shoved her away to get a better look at the wound. The blood had been startling, but upon further inspection, she realized the cut wasn't deep.

"She's ok, Kell." Sabrina breathed. She took a slow, calming breath and patted Kelly's still tensed shoulder. "She's alright."

Kelly looked up at her. "Are you sure?" she whispered. "That looks-"

"It's not deep enough to kill her, just break the skin." Sabrina explained. The girls dragged Jill to the opposite side of the room and cradled her head in Sabrina's lap. "Jill, honey? Can you hear me?" Sabrina asked gently.

Jill finally responded with a slight nod of her head. Kelly and Sabrina heaved a sigh of relief and rolled her over onto her side. "Just lie still, honey, ok?" Sabrina said calmly, though it seemed unecessary. Jill had yet to move.

"Help me untie her." Sabrina said quietly.

Kelly floundered for a moment and then grabbed up Gary's knife and carefully sawed through the thick ropes around Jill's wrists. Once freed, she tossed away the bits of rope and tried to rub feeling back into her friend's chafed wrists and hands.

"Jill? C'mon let's sit you up." Sabrina said gently, slipping an arm under her shoulders. With Kelly's help, the girls settled her in a sitting position, leaning against Sabrina for support.

"Jill?"Sabrina asked again.

"Wha-?" Jill whimpered pitifully. She looked around the room as if she didn't know where she was or who she was with.

Sabrina cupped her cheek in her hand to get her attention. "Jill? Can you talk to me?"

Jill looked distressed and they quickly realized she wasn't completely aware of her surroundings. "I feel sick." she whispered shakily.

"That's ok, honey." Kelly soothed. "Let's just ge- Jill?"

Before she had finished her sentence, Jill went limp and slumped over against Sabrina's chest, unconscious.

"Bri, what's wrong?" Kelly cried in alarm.

"She blacked out." Sabrina said quickly, carefully lowering Jill back into her lap. "Sometimes adrenaline will overload your system."

Accepting Sabrina's explanation but not totally understanding it, Kelly turned her attention back to Jill. Sabrina was busy trying to shake her awake, so Kelly climbed to her feet, stepped over Gary's body and began rooting noisily through the kitchen drawers. After a moment, the faucet turned on briefly and Kelly returned with a clean, damp kitchen towel to clean the blood and sweat from Jill's face and neck.

The cool water also had reviving qualities. After some encouragement, Jill moaned softly and her eyelids fluttered open, the dazed look gone from her eyes. She was alert now. "Bri? Kelly?" she whimpered.

"Yeah, Jill." Kelly whispered. "Take it easy. He's gone."

"Kris?"

Sabrina stroked her hair soothingly. "She's in the car."

Jill nodded her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gary's lifeless body, his eyes still open, glassy and unseeing. Brian was lying close by, but she couldn't bear to turn her head that way. Sudden nausea came over her and she began to tremble violently, unable to fight off the overwhelming waves of hysteria crashing all around her.

"Oh God." she choked. She crawled up into Sabrina's lap, buried her head in her shoulder and began to cry, desperately clutching her friend as close as she could. Sabrina and Kelly shared a worried look and moved to calm her down. Jill was sobbing now, racking her entire body and soaking through Sabrina's shirt, clinging tightly as if by letting go she would undo everything her friends had done.

"It's ok, sweetheart." Sabrina murmured softly, rubbing her back. "Shhh, It's alright, sweet Jill."

"Out." Jill choked suddenly from Sabrina's shoulder. "I want to get out of here. Please, right now."

"Ok, ok." Sabrina responded. "Let's go. Can you stand up?"

Jill quickly clambered to her feet, ignoring any pain her knee and leg were giving her and began pushing against Sabrina, toward the back door.

"Hey, easy!" Sabrina cried, startled by her urgency. "This way." Jill stumbled, but continued struggling unfazed. The girls tried again to lead her towards the front door, but Jill shook her head vehemently and again pushed forward desperately, still holding Sabrina tightly, as if she was her last lifeline to sanity. "I don't want Kris to see me." she managed through her tears. "Back door. Please, Sabrina, I just want to get out of here. Please, please, please get me out."

Concerned by their friend's uncharacteristic hysterical state, Sabrina and Kelly obliged her. With Sabrina holding the damp towel over Jill's eyes to block out the nightmare inducing sight of the kitchen, the two led her around the dead men and out the back screen door. Once out into the warm afternoon sunshine of Emmitt's backyard, they lowered her onto the soft green grass and huddled close. Jill was trembling, crying, gasping for breath, but bravely trying to calm herself down. She fought hard to control her breathing and racing heart, her two friends helping her as best as they could, whispering soothing words of encouragement. After a few minutes, Jill's breathing had calmed, her adrenaline had returned to normal, and her hold on Sabrina had relaxed.

Sabrina took the chance to pry herself away, though Jill seemed visibly upset by letting her go. She gave her another hug and leaned forward towards Kelly. "Kris is probably going nuts. Take care of her, she's in shock." she whispered discreetly in Kelly's ear.

Kelly nodded. Sabrina released Jill and raised her voice so that she could now hear. "I'm gonna go tell Kris you're ok." she said, smoothing back Jill's hair. "Paramedics will be here soon, alright?"

"Yeah." Jill murmured weakly, reluctantly letting go of her arm. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I-"

"It's ok." Sabrina cut her off. She kissed the top of her head and then stood up and hurried away. Kelly watched her jog across the lawn and out the open gate, her clothes visibly crumpled where Jill had been tightly squeezing the fabric in her hands. She turned back to friend and still trembling and needy, Jill turned her clinging to her.

Kelly settled her comfortably in her lap and stroked her hair. "Talk to me, Jill." she whispered, hoping to distract her. "Tell me about baseball, ok?"

"You hate baseball." Jill murmured back.

"No I don't. Baseball is my favorite." Kelly insisted. "Tell me about the Ram's starting lineup."

Jill smiled. "The Rams are a football team, dummy."

Kelly tilted her head in wonder. "Oh yeah. Well, then tell me about the Rams."

Jill let out a soft giggle and, until the paramedics wheeled her away, quietly rattled off random statistics and facts about her favorite players while Kelly nodded her head in false understanding.

* * *

"How is she?"

At Kris's impatient question, Kelly turned her head and watched Sabrina enter the living room from Jill's bedroom.

"Sleeping." Sabrina answered. She sank down on the couch next to Kelly and heaved a sigh. "Finally."

"Did she tell you what happened?" Kris asked.

Sabrina frowned. "No. Says she doesn't want to talk about it."

Kelly shook her head. She caught Sabrina's eyes and her friend nodded and looked away. They would both talk to Jill later, she wasn't one to bottle anything up.

"She'll feel better tomorrow when she wakes up." Sabrina answered.

"She'll be sore tomorrow when she wakes up." Kelly added bitterly. Sabrina looked at her and sighed. Though it wouldn't be immediatly obvious to anyone else, Kelly was still very much on edge, growing angrier and angrier about Jill's ordeal even though she had been safe in bed for an hour. There was no doubt in Sabrina's mind that if given the opportunity to kill Gary Moore again, Kelly wouldn't hesitate to take it. What would her friend have done if her bullet hadn't killed Gary instantly? Sabrina frowned, the thought unsettling her and forced herself to drop it. What was done was done and there was no point dwelling on it. Jill was alive, Kelly would calm down, and everything would return to normal soon.

"She'll be fine, Kell." Sabrina said wearily, patting her knee. Kelly didn't respond.

Oblivious to her friend's conversation, Kris sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. Once again, dawn was approaching without them having slept at all and it had happened so many times this week that, as ridiculous as it was, it felt normal. The past several hours had been a blur. The fear, the dread, the worry, the relief, the worry again. Would it ever end?

She remembered seeing Sabrina jogging toward the car and not seeing Kelly or Jill with her, had assumed the worst. But Sabrina had reassured her immediately, though the fact that she had been kept from running out to see her sister had been frightening. And when she saw the paramedics lead Jill out, she couldn't understand why they had. Aside from several nasty cuts and bruises and being badly shaken up, Jill was alright.

She was able to see her at the hospital, but she hadn't had much time alone with her. Jill was treated and released and from there they had all gone through a marathon of questions and interviews with the police. When they had finally been permitted to leave, her head felt like it would float away, she was so tired. Seeing that it was nearly four in the morning was a surprise, though it shouldn't have been.

And now they were back at Jill's house, Laura was at the police station, and Bosely's Thunderbird, forgotten in all the excitement, was parked on the curb.

Kris looked over at Kelly and Sabrina. They looked tired. The long, stressful day had caught up with everyone and they all needed sleep. And, truthfully, this was the first night in a long time that they would be able to do it safely without fear of being attacked. Kris was more than ready to give it a try.

The girls sat quietly, the atmosphere of the room suddenly awkward. It was time for bed and who would bring it up first.

"Why don't you two crash here tonight?" Kris offered, standing up to signify much desired bedtime. "Your places are wrecked anyway."

Sabrina smiled her gratitude. "Thanks, Kris."

She leaned her head back on the couch, closed her eyes, and probably would have fallen asleep right there had Kelly not stood up and pulled her to her feet.

"C'mon, you'll be less grumpy in the morning if you sleep in a bed." she teased, producing an actual smile.

Sabrina hesitated a moment, reminded herself that Kelly was harmless, and then smiled back. The girls bid each other goodnight and then drifted sleepily toward their separate rooms.

Kris quietly crept into Jill's bedroom, changed clothes, and then carefully crawled into the bed. Though she was trying her best to be quiet, the bedsprings squeaked under her weight, and Jill let out a sleepy moan. Kris froze for a few seconds, still on her hands and knees on the bed, to make sure she hadn't woken her sister. When Jill's only further response was deep, steady, breathing, Kris relaxed and settled herself under the covers next to her, pleased with her stealth.

She always had been the sneakier of the two.

"Bri?" Jill mumbled sleepily, rolling over to face her.

Damn.

"Hey, it's me. I'm sorry I woke you up." Kris whispered guiltily, smoothing back Jill's hair. "Go back to sleep, honey, c'mon."

It had been so diffcult getting her to sleep after coming home from the hospital, despite the dose of Valium she had been given. Closing her eyes seemed frightening to her and Kris could imagine what her sister saw everytime she did. Sabrina had finally sat next to her until she drifted off into a much needed sleep that had just been disturbed. But she didn't seem fully awake and Kris hoped she would settle back down.

Instead, Jill sat up in bed and leaned back against the headboard rubbing her eyes.

Cursing herself for waking her, Kris propped herself up on her elbow and watched her with concern. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Jill answered.

"Oh, well go back to sleep." Kris whispered, relaxing slightly. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

Jill shook her head. "No, I'm glad you did. I wanted to talk to you."

"Tomorrow, Jill." Kris replied, pulling her sister into a lying position. Jill complied, laid her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I punched you." she whispered softly.

Kris chuckled. "You already apologized at the hospital." she answered. "And at the police station, and in the car, and thirty minutes ago."

Jill was still troubled. "Well, I'm sorry." she repeated. "Also, just- you know- just for everything that happened. I know I've said it before, but I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this, and I'm sorry you got hurt-"

"Jill-"

"-and I'm sorry you had to worry about me." Jill finished. She smiled weakly. "This probably wasn't on your agenda for a break from studying."

"It's ok, Jill. I'm just glad you're alive."

"Yeah." Jill answered softly. She closed her eyes again, but opened them a moment later. "What was it you were gonna tell me back at the motel?"

Kris sighed. Jill didn't appear to want to sleep. "Don't worry about it right now. I'll tell you tomorrow." she whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "You need to rest."

She closed her eyes and relaxed, assuming Jill had done the same until a light poke to her forehead made her eyes snap open in surprise. "Jill-" she started. Jill poked her again. "Jill, go to sleep." Kris sighed. "I'll tell you tomorr-"

Jill poked her again.

Kris huffed and sat up in bed. Forehead poking had been Jill's most obnoxious childhood tool for wearing her down and getting what she wanted. Fifteen years later it hadn't lost its effectiveness.

"Jill-" Kris started, rubbing her forehead in mild irritation. "I really think it should wait until- until you're...better."

Jill sat up, wincing as she did, and clicked on the bedside lamp.

"I'm ok." she said quickly. "Tell me, I don't want to have to worry. Are you in trouble or something?"

Kris nervously rubbed her face. "No, I'm not in trouble- at least, not yet-"

"So tell me."

"Well- I, uh-" Kris stammered evasively. "I thought- I've decided to- Um-"

"Kristine!" Jill snapped sternly.

Kris stopped floundering around and turned herself to face Jill. She had been hoping for a perfect moment. Four in the morning, with Jill beaten and bruised after a traumatizing ordeal most definitely wasn't it. But inappropriate as it was, there was no putting it off.

"Ok." Kris said calmly, bracing herself for the worst. She paused for a second, half expecting yet another distraction and found herself slightly disappointed when it didn't come. Jill was looking at her expectantly so she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

"I'm in the police academy."

It took over two seconds for Jill's face to change expression, but when it did it rapidly went through the entire spectrum in another two.

"What?" she sputtered.

"I'm in the police academy." Kris sighed. "I have been since January."

Jill's face suddenly became unreadable. "And school?" she asked quietly.

"I dropped out." Kris admitted.

Jill pursed her lips and, not quite ready to hear her sister's opinion, Kris decided to elaborate.

"School just wasn't for me, Jill. I dropped out after last semester."

Jill remained unmoving. Sighing in exasperation, Kris grabbed her hand and kept going. As much as she had dreaded this conversation, now that she started, it was impossible to stop.

"I wasn't happy in school, I wanted to be doing something else and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be on the force. I'm really happy in the academy, Jill, I know this is what I want to do, and I know it didn't work out for you and Kelly and Sabrina, but I think its gonna work out really well for me." Out of words, she stopped and waited anxiously for Jill to speak her mind.

Jill bit her lip, still processing, and stared thoughtfully at her little sister."Why didn't you tell me this in January?" she asked quietly.

"I wanted to, Jill-"

"But you didn't."

Kris nervously chewed her lip, unintentionally creating an almost exact mirror of her sister's uncomfortable expression. "I-I wanted to tell you, Jill. I just couldn't ever find the right time."

"January." Jill answered shortly. "That was the right time."

Kris hung her head. She had expected the conversation to go down this road, but actually going through it was much, much worse than she thought it would be.

"And the money you've been putting in my account- I- I- used it to pay for the police academy." she admitted quietly.

The two girls were silent for a few moments and Kris found herself both grateful for the time to think and anxious about the awkward silence.

She looked up at her sister. "Jill, I'm sorry. I'll pay you back."

Jill sighed. "Oh Kris, I don't care about the money. Why didn't you just tell me? Why didn't you talk it over with me first? Didn't I have the right to know what my money was paying for? And it's not even that. I've been calling you and writing you and you've been lying to me that whole time. Why, Kris?"

"Because- because, I don't know, I thought you'd be mad or disappointed or- I don't know, Jill. I'm sorry."

"Kris, why didn't you finish school, you were almost done!" Jill cried. "You're so smart, Kris, with a college education you could do so much more!"

"I don't want to do anything more!" Kris argued back. "I didn't want to be a teacher. You and mom were pushing me to go to college since I was old enough to talk, and I just did it because it would make you happy and because it was what I was supposed to do after high school - but- Jill, that isn't for me."

Jill, clearly frustrated, grabbed her sister's shoulder. "Kris, we pushed you because you were the smart one!"

"Oh Jill, you're smart too-"

"Not like you." Jill cut her off. "I don't understand why you would throw away your education for the police academy!"

Kris glared at her. "You did it. Why was it ok for you?"

Jill sighed. "I wasn't going to college. I already knew that. Mom and Pop already knew that, and do you see me in a blue uniform now?"

Kris lowered her eyes.

"No, because no one takes a woman cop seriously, Kris." she said quietly.

"Things have changed." Kris argued softly.

Jill shook her head. "In two years? Not much."

Kris sighed. "Jill, this is what I really want to do." she said. "I've thought about it so much, and I know I can make it work for me."

Jill was silent for a few seconds as she contemplated her words. Finally, she reached out and took one of her sister's hands. Kris looked their hands. Jill's wrists were rubbed raw and bruised from her kidnapping. The sight made her sick with guilt and she looked back into her eyes and tried to ignore the cuts and bruises she found there as well. This was horrible timing.

"This is what you really want to do?" Jill asked. "You want to be a cop? And all the danger that might go with it? And you won't be happy doing anything else?"

Kris nodded her head. "I really want this, Jill." she whispered.

Another period of tense silence.

"Then why didn't you just tell me?" Jill asked. There was a hint of hurt in her voice that made Kris want to cry. "When have I ever given you reason to hide something like this from me?"

Now, Kris did cry. "You haven't." she sniffed. "I'm sorry. I should have told you."

She wiped her eyes and lowered her head.

Jill watched her silently for awhile before drawing her into a tight hug.

"Kris, if this is what you really want, then I'm going to support you no matter what." she murmured in her ear.

The sudden acceptance surprised Kris and she jerked in Jill's embrace. "What?" she stammered. "You're not mad?"

Jill released her and pulled back. "No, honey. I'm not mad." she laughed. Her face grew serious. "But you should have told me. I could have helped you, given you advice-" she sighed. "No more secrets alright?"

Kris beamed. "No more secrets."

Kris smiled and pulled away, wiping her eyes. "So, are we ok?"

"Yeah." Jill answered, with a soft smile. "Just remember. Don't take any crap from the guys. You gotta stand up for yourself. Don't let anybody push you around!"

Kris nodded her head and smiled. "I won't, Jill. I promise."

Jill smiled and pulled her little sister into another warm hug. "Then congratulations Officer Munroe. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Jill." Kris whispered. She could feel the rough scrapes of her sister's cheeks on her own as they hugged and was immediately reminded yet again of Jill's condition.

"You need to rest now." she said quietly as the sisters pulled away. "Go to sleep."

Jill nodded her agreement. "Ok, but I want to hear all about the academy in the morning."

"Deal." Kris answered with a grin. Both girls settled down under the covers, Kris feeling better than she had in months. She gazed sympathetically at her sister and felt guilt tugging at her heart again. Jill had been through something awful and yet still found time to worry about her. Her sister was remarkable.

"Hey, Jill?" Kris whispered hesitantly.

Jill opened alert eyes and stared at her. "Yeah?" she answered back.

Kris bit her lip, wondering how to word her question. "Are you alright?" she settled on. "I mean, really alright?"

Jill shrugged. "Just some cuts and bruises. I'll be ok."

"Liar." Kris said quietly.

Jill sighed and shifted under the covers. "Are you saying I look terrible?" she joked awkwardly.

"You do look terrible." Kris shot back. "But that's not what I'm ta-."

"I know what you're talking about." Jill answered. "I'm fine, Kris. I promise."

She watched Kris's defeated face and couldn't help feeling guilty. She was the older one, it wasn't right to have her little sister worried about her well being. Ever since they were children, she had always sheltered Kris from any pain brought on by their often dysfunctional upbringing, reassured her when things went wrong. Just because they were adults now didn't mean it had to change. Kris needed her to always be strong and reassuring, the rock, the one that took anything life threw at her without batting an eyelash, and even though she certainly didn't feel very strong or brave right now, her little sister didn't need to know that.

But she was helping, whether she knew it or not. Just having someone here with her helped with the anxiety and paranoia she was feeling. Jill scooted a little closer and smiled. "Just stay with me, ok?" she asked.

Kris smiled and patted Jill's head. If this was the only way Jill would let her help, then she would do the best she could. "I will. Go to sleep."

Jill closed her eyes and within a few minutes was sleeping, though by no means was it a peaceful sleep. Her nightmares were frequent, she tossed and turned and cried out in her sleep, but her little sister was there each time to soothe her back into calml dreams. After what would be the last nightmare, Kris closed her eyes and felt herself drifting off. Her sister was finally sleeping peacefully, nestled safely beside her. Jill wouldn't let herself look weak in front of her and there was no way of her remembering this, but that was ok. She didn't need Jill to know she was there for her. As long as she always was.


	27. Chapter 27

**_Sorry for the long wait. I just moved and I didn't have internet for awhile. And when I finally did, I discovered I was too busy to use it haha. But anyway, thanks for all the support and enjoy the final chapter!_**

**_- kp_**

* * *

Chapter 27

When Kris awoke, daylight was already streaming through the curtain of Jill's bedroom window. She squinted at the window for a moment and smiled. The sunlight belonged to a day that would finally hold no danger for them and the thought filled her with happiness. Soft whispers behind her drew her attention away from the window and she rolled over in confusion.

Sabrina was leaning over her still sleeping sister, one hand pressed against her forehead. Kelly stood close by watching intently. Both girls looked up as Kris rustled her sheets turning around to face them.

"Morning." Kelly greeted her, reaching over to ruffle her already disheveled hair. "We just came in to check on Jill. Sorry to wake you up."

Kris smiled and tried to make sense of her ruffled hair. Now that they knew she was awake, they raised their voices to almost normal volume, knowing full well it would take a natural disaster to wake Jill before she was ready to wake up.

"No, it's fine." she yawned, sitting up. "What time is it?"

Sabrina sat down beside Jill and glanced at her watch. "Ten fifteen." she informed her. She smoothed back Jill's hair and her expression grew serious. "How did she do last night?"

Kris rubbed her eyes. "Nightmares. Lots of them." she admitted softly. "I'm not sure how long she actually slept."

Kelly nodded her head and patted Jill's leg. "I guess that's to be expected." she replied. "Don't worry, we'll take care of her. We'll let her sleep a little longer and then we have to take her back to the hospital this afternoon."

Kris furrowed her eyebrows and turned to her friends with concern. "What?" she asked. "Why? What's wrong with her?"

Sabrina and Kelly shared an amused glance before answering.

"Her rabies follow up." Sabrina giggled. "We got her a little something to cheer her up this time though." She nodded to Kelly, who grinned and scampered out of the room. Before Kris could voice the confusion she felt, Kelly returned with something behind her back.

"We got her a present." she explained, grinning mischievously. She swung the present in front of her and Kris couldn't help but to burst into laughter at the sight of it.

Jill was going to love it.

* * *

Forty five minutes later, Jill opened her eyes. Just as sister had done, she spent the first few minutes of consciousness staring at the sunlight. It seemed brighter now, more cheerful. The nightmare was ready to put behind her and today would be the first good day in a long time. She reached out an arm to feel for her sister's comforting presence, and though she felt better, was slightly distressed in discovering that she was alone.

She could hear bustling and voices coming from the kitchen though, and eager for the company of her sister and friends, as well as something to eat, she sat up and swung her legs over the bed. As she did, a flash of orange and a soft thump told her she had just knocked something to the floor.

Eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment, she bent down and grabbed the bright orange mystery that was mostly hidden under the bed skirt.

Her lips immediately curled into a smile and she shook her head and set her new gift on her pillow, shrugged on her robe, and hurried out to greet her friends.

A bright orange plush toy fox puppet, adorned with a blue bow tie, a brand new paperback copy of Fred Gipson's Old Yeller, and her hospital appointment card, smiled at her back, promising with his polished marble eyes to forever guard her bed and serve as a reminder not to play with wild animals.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the four girls plus Laura turned down the street to Townsend Investigations. The familiar looking building came into sight a few seconds later.

Kelly smiled, seeing that her car was no longer alone. Jill's Cobra and Sabrina's Pinto were parked there as well, looking good as new and sporting a fine wax job. Charlie's connections seemed to not be limited to politicians, movie stars, and other powerful people but excellent mechanics as well.

Sabrina and Jill seemed even more pleased and were pressed up against the window in childish delight.

"My car is back!" Jill exclaimed joyfully.

Kris laughed at her enthusiasm. "Thank God." she answered. "I don't want you stealing my truck."

Jill stuck her tongue out at her. "Hey, Pop gave it to me first. You're lucky I was nice enough to share it with you."

"If I was lucky, you'd share that Cobra with me too." Kris shot back with a grin.

Jill laughed and ruffled her hair. "Fat chance, kiddo. I'm done sharing cars."

The girls laughed at the sister's banter and to pass the time waiting for a chance for the traffic to slow down enough for Kelly to park, Sabrina turned to Kris.

"How much longer do we get to keep you?" she asked.

Kris smiled. "Just until this weekend, then I have to get back to the academy."

Before Sabrina could respond, Jill whirled around to face the back seat.

"Oh!" she gushed excitedly. "Kris joined the San Francisco Police Academy! I forgot to tell you this morning!"

Laura voiced her surprise and Kelly and Sabrina nodded their heads knowingly. Luckily, realization jolted Kelly upright and she gave Sabrina a swift, discreet swat to the knee from behind her seat. Jill wasn't supposed to know they knew

"Oh! The police academy, Bri! Just like us!" Kelly cried joyfully, hoping to upstage the confused look on Sabrina's face. "Oh Kris, that's great! Congratulations!"

Sabrina's last puzzle piece finally wedged itself in place.

"Wow! The police academy!" she blurted out with, her enthusiasm and false surprise layered so thickly it made Kelly and Kris both wince. "I had no idea! I never would have guessed!"

"Thanks, guys!" Kris replied, trying her best not to laugh. "Next time I'm down, you'll have to teach me some stuff."

Jill stared suspiciously at Kelly's convincing grin and Sabrina's over exaggerated, plastic one for a moment before dismissing it for far more important things.

Kelly had parked and it was now time to say hello to her newly reunited Cobra. As soon as Kelly shut off the engine, Jill was out the door, crutch abandoned, and hopping toward her beloved Cobra.

"Oh, I missed you!" she shouted playfully, sprawling herself out on the hood in a comical attempt to hug the vehicle. "It's ok. You don't have to hug me back, I know you missed me too." she cooed.

Kelly, Laura, and Kris crowded around her in amusement.

"It looks great, Jill." Kelly laughed, running her hand along the top of the gleaming white car.

"It really does." Kris added. "You can't even tell it was banged up at all."

While the four girls chatted happily about the pristine condition of Jill's Cobra, Sabrina stood a few feet behind with one hand on the roof of her beloved Pinto growing more and more irritated with her friends.

Finally she cleared her throat loudly.

"My Pinto looks good too!" she announced.

The girls turned around, most of them feeling slightly guilty for ignoring her.

"The Eyesore looks good too, Bri." Kelly teased. "Just like new."

Sabrina frowned and patted her car lovingly while the girls giggled. "Kidding, Bri." Kelly laughed. "It really does look good."

Jill and Kris voiced their agreement and Sabrina's face brightened considerably. She opened the door and sat in the driver's seat, inhaling deeply the familiar and missed scent of her car.

"It looks great, Sabrina."

Sabrina turned and grinned at Laura, who had obviously wandered over from the group to win some points. This morning had resulted in yet another accidental blow to the nose when she had looked over Laura's shoulder at the morning paper and been head butted painfully after Laura snapped her head up to answer a question Kris had hollered to her across the hall.

Even though she realized that was the only reason Laura showed an interest in her car, Sabrina was too eager to show it off to care. Her nose had stopped hurting hours ago anyway.

"Yeah!" she said brightly. "They fixed my windows and everything!"

To prove her point, she reached out and rolled down the passenger window so Laura could look inside. Genuinely amused by Sabrina's childlike joy, she laughed and stuck her head inside the car and looked around its light brown interior.

"Very nice." she said appreciatively.

Delighted to have an audience, Sabrina continued tinkering with every button and knob on her panel before reaching over and leaning back her passenger seat.

"They even took out that jelly stain Jill left in the backseat!" Sabrina cried happily. "Go on look! The upholstery is perfect!"

Laura indulged her and, still chuckling, stuck her head in farther to see into the backseat. It looked very much like the backseat of Pinto, she decided. But if Sabrina wanted to show it off, then she at least owed her that much for what happened this morning.

A loud tap on the roof of the car made the two girls turn to look through the windshield. Jill, Kris, and Kelly were now standing in front of the car grinning happily.

"Hey, let's go!" Jill said, giving the roof another tap. "Bos just saw us through the window and you know how he gets when he's impatient."

Sabrina smiled and glanced at the window where, sure enough, one of Bosely's eyes was visible through the venetian blinds.

"Alright, alright." Sabrina groaned. Without thinking, she reached over and pulled the crank to let her backseat back to its original position.

To her surprise, the newly fixed passenger seat shot forward drastically faster than she expected it to.

"Oh!-" she sputtered. But by then it was too late.

Laura had not yet pulled her head completely out of the car and to both girl's horror, the young woman got an unanticipated face full of flying headrest. The seat came to a jarring halt against her face, whipping her head back into the window frame. Not at all expecting it, she let out a surprised yelp, bounced off of the window frame and toppled ungracefully to the pavement.

Sabrina quickly withdrew her hand from the crank, her eyes widened in horror.

Did that just happen?

She saw Kris rush forward and disappear from sight, while Jill and Kelly remained in front of her car, features contorted in a characteristically appropriate mixture of surprise and amusement. Seconds later, both Kris and Laura both rose into her vision, the latter with one hand pressed against her nose.

Her eyes watered instinctively but underneath her hand she was grinning in embarrassment. She raised the other before Sabrina could apologize.

"No, it's ok." she laughed. "I guess I kind of deserved that."

Sabrina blushed. "I'm so sorry about that, Laura." she choked out.

Kelly came forward and patted the girl sympathetically on the shoulder. "That's happened to me too." she confided. "I've never seen it move that fast though." She turned to Sabrina, her eyes betraying barely concealed laughter. "Looks like you have a few kinks to work out, huh Bri?"

Still blushing furiously, Sabrina got out of the car and closed the door behind her. When her friends were far enough ahead of her, she allowed the wide grin of satisfaction to slowly plaster itself across her face.

"Thanks." she whispered. She leaned down, planted a quick kiss on the roof of her car and gave it an affectionate pat before jogging after her friends.

Kinks to work out?

None that she could see.

* * *

Twenty minutes later found the angels, Kris, and Laura all settled comfortably on the plush couches exchanging friendly conversation with a tired, haggard looking Bosely.

During their conversation, Bosely explained the sudden meeting as a surprise end to their current case. Police had apparently closed in on Gary yesterday afternoon and both he and his companion, Brian Murphy had been killed. The way he was relaying the facts led the girls to believe that Bosely had no idea of Jill's abduction or their involvement in Gary's death even though he had commented on the extra cuts and bruises on her face.

More for Jill's sake, the girls said nothing and ended his discussion of Gary as soon as they could.

"When is Charlie going to call?" Sabrina asked during a lull in conversation.

Bosely shrugged. "I'm not sure." he said, suddenly looking concerned. "He said he would be calling at four."

Kelly smiled. "Not like Charlie to be late." she said with a devious grin. "Maybe he's-" she shot Sabrina and Jill a glance -"lying down a deal somewhere?"

Bosely scowled at her, ignoring the girls' inappropriate snickering. "Unfunny." he muttered, turning in his chair towards the phone. "I don't understand. It's almost four fifteen, he said he w-"

His troubled looking expression quickly melded into a triumphant grin when the phone's ring interrupted him.

"Ah. Here we go." Bosely announced, reaching for the phone. He clicked it on and leaned back in his seat.

"They're all here, Charlie."

"Hello, angels." the familiar voice sang from the squawk box.

"Hello, Charlie!" the girls and Kris, finally catching on enough to include herself, chorused back.

"So it would seem the police have put your minds at ease, ladies."

"So we've heard, Charlie." Sabrina answered back.

" So you've told them, Bosely?"

Bosely nodded his head, something they all did though they were all aware he couldn't see it. "Yes, sir. Everything you told me."

"Excellent. Then I won't dwell on it. I spoke with the chief of police earlier this morning and Emmitt Tierson is out of the hospital and will be transferred to the county jail tomorrow morning. His trial will begin in June, and with all the evidence gathered and the statements from you girls, it looks like he'll be doing all his camping in a prison cell for quite awhile."

The girls and Bosely murmured their agreement and let Charlie continue.

"And Laura?"

"Yes, Mr. Townsend?" Laura replied meekly.

Charlie chuckled at her timid tone. "You have been cleared of all charges. You have nothing more to worry about."

Laura smiled, tears of relief welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Townsend." she whispered. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime." Charlie answered back warmly. "I've talked to your apartment manager and he is currently working on having your locks changed. Just in case. Your new key should be waiting for you in the office. Do you have a way of getting there?"

Laura nodded her head. "Yes, I talked to my parents last night. I think I'm going to stay with them for a few days and try to sort everything out." She smiled gratefully. "I guess I owe them a lot of explaining."

"I'm sure they'll understand." Charlie said gently. Laura nodded, still sniffling and Kris and Sabrina patted her back supportively.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Townsend."

"My pleasure." Charlie responded kindly. "Well, angels, Bosely has filled you in on the details so I won't waste anymore of your time." The girls giggled and Charlie went on. "And since you got your vacation…interrupted, go ahead and take the rest of the week off. Paid of course. My way of making up for your inconvenience."

"Thank you, Charlie!" the girls sang back happily.

"You're welcome, angels. Enjoy your time off."

There was a brief pause in the conversation, and sensing his moment to chime in, Bosely cleared his throat. "Well, everyone gets a happy ending then." he said, a bit bitterly. "I don't suppose the police said anything about my car, did they?"

The girls shared a quick, amused glance. Having been unable to return Bosely's car before he noticed the day before, Kelly and Sabrina had driven it in it earlier in the morning and parked it in the back. Bosely had apparently gotten a ride to the office, gone in the through the front door, and not noticed that his car had returned.

"No, they didn't." Charlie said gravely. "Sorry, Bosely. I'm sure it will turn up."

The girls quickly looked between each other and mutually nominated Kelly.

"What's this about your car, Bos?" Kelly said, hoping her friends weren't laughing or looking overly suspicious behind her.

Bosely huffed. "Some punk kids stole my car yesterday afternoon."

The girls did a decent job of looking shocked.

"Stole your car?" Sabrina echoed. "From here?"

Bosely sighed miserably. "Yes, from here. And the thing is, I don't have my keys." he explained. "I must have dropped them on the way in yesterday and they just picked them up and drove off."

The girls exchanged another puzzled look. "But, Bos." Jill started. "Your car is parked in the back."

Bosely stared at them for a moment. "What?"

"It is!" Jill repeated fervently. "It's there, we came from my house and we all saw it parked there!"

"She's right, Bos." Kelly agreed, nodding her head. "It's parked right where you left it."

Bosely looked completely baffled. "But-but I would ha-"

"Are those your keys on the floor by the bar?" Kris cut in, pointing toward the distant shining object that she had deposited upon their arrival.

Bosely turned to them, his eyes widening in amazement.

"Maybe you just forgot you parked it back there yesterday." Sabrina offered innocently, biting back laughter. "Are you going senile on us, Bos?"

The girls snickered behind their hands, enjoying the deeply confused and distressed expression on Bosely's face.

"There's no way-" he started, inching towards the door.

From the squawk box, Charlie gave a deep chuckle. "Maybe you should recheck, Bosely. That kind of thing happens when you get older."

Bosely stammered and looked between all five girls before rushing out the door.

As soon as he was out of earshot, the girls and Charlie burst into laughter.

"Kelly, you stole his car I presume?"

Kelly giggled. "I did have help." she admitted, looking at her friends.

Charlie let them giggle for a moment before clearing his throat. Though he was on the squawk box, the girls immediately sensed his change of demeanor.

"Angels, my phone call was late today due to a chat I had with one of the sergeants at the scene of yesterday's unpleasantness."

The girls, realizing he knew, fell into a somber silence.

"Jill? Are you alright?" Charlie asked.

Jill nodded, feeling embarrassed and awkward. "I'm fine, Charlie."

"Good to know, angel." he continued. "The sergeant informed me of Brian Murphy's actions in the house."

Jill nodded sadly. "He tried to save me, Charlie." she whispered quietly.

"I know, Jill. A good man caught up in a bad man's scheme. I'll see to it that his name is cleared and he's buried with full military honors."

"Thanks, Charlie." Jill whispered with a faint smile.

Charlie cleared his throat, and the atmosphere was suddenly much less grave.

"Well, Bosely will be coming back soon. We'll keep this our little secret."

The girls smiled and murmured their agreement and thanks.

"Though you might want to tell Bosely about his car, before he starts to think he's losing his mind." he suggested, though knew it was pointless. "Well, I have some business to attend to before it gets too late, but I'll be in touch. I will insist that you actually get some rest during your time off. Good work, angels."

"Thanks, Charlie!" they answered in unison.

He hung up just as an extremely flustered looking Bosely burst back into the room.

"It- it's out there." he said in disbelief. "But- yesterday I know that I didn't see it! How-?"

The girls quickly stood up and grabbed their purses.

"No clue, Bos." Kelly said, leaning up to peck his cheek. "Maybe you need glasses?"

Bosely looked at her suspiciously. "I don't need glasses." he huffed. "And where are you going?"

Sabrina turned. "Charlie gave us the rest of the week off, remember?" she answered with a wink. "Or - did you forget already?"

Bosley glared at her. "Unfunny." he muttered.

"See you later, Bos!" Jill called out. She blew him a kiss and closed the door behind them, leaving him alone in the office with at least three hours worth of paperwork.

Bosely shook his head and shifted his gaze to his keys lying innocently in the corner. They couldn't have been there earlier. He would have noticed. Wouldn't he? He sighed and walked over to pick them up.

Why did it feel like he was the only one not in on a joke?

* * *

Sabrina juggled her purse, a coffee mug, and the larger half of the day's mail in one arm while she fumbled in her pocket for her apartment keys. She groaned in frustration through the two envelopes between her lips and pushed herself against the door to let it handle some of the weight of her purse.

After a few frustrating attemps at wedging the key chain out of her pocket, she quickly keyed her way through the door and went inside.

The memory of what her apartment had looked like the last time she saw it made it seem even better now. She smiled appreciatively at the work the maintenance staff had done. The floor had been cleaned of the debris and broken glass left from their rumble, bullet holes had been filled, and her window had been replaced.

The couch needed to be reupholstered, but overall the place looked great.

Sabrina closed the door behind her and walked inside. She gave her apartment another grateful look over and smiled happily.

The place looked so good it was a shame she was going to close her eyes and make a point of not seeing it again for at least another eight hours. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so tired.

She had expected to stay the next few nights over at Jill's place to keep her company. Though her best friend wasn't showing it, the incident at Gary's had obviously disturbed her. But Jill had insisted she was fine and that she would be visiting her mother in Burbank. Even Kelly had suddenly had plans and taken off, leaving Sabrina with nothing else to do but go home and rest.

Not that she was complaining.

She went into her bathroom, brushed her teeth, and headed to her bedroom. The sight of her bed, unmade and inviting, seemed to increase the weariness she felt and within a minute she had changed into a pair of old, comfortable pajamas, shut off the lights, and crawled into bed.

Just laying her head on the soft pillow and knowing that she would be able to sleep uninterrupted and wake up when she was rested felt amazing. With a sigh of contentment, she nestled under the cool sheets and closed her eyes. Her apartment was quiet, save for the comforting whir of the ceiling fan above her head. Everything was peaceful, calm, and still. Sabrina smiled and waited eagerly to slip away.

Mere seconds away from drifting peacefully towards sleep, a soft scratching sound made her eyes slide open. On edge from the previous week, she held her breath and listened carefully, suddenly wishing the ceiling fan wasn't on.

The sound didn't repeat itself and soon began to fade from memory. Had it been a scratch? The fan? Maybe the beginnings of the dream she was about to enter? Or maybe the result of being paranoid and on guard all week, she decided.

Shrugging it off, she rolled over and closed her eyes again.

No sooner had done that then the sound came again, louder this time, much more definite.

Sabrina sat up, her heart starting to race. What was that?

As if answering her, it came again. There was no mistaking it this time. She was awake, alert, listening. This was no dream and couldn't be passed off as the fan. Unbelievable as it seemed, what she heard was the unmistakable sound of fingernails raking across carpet.

And it was coming from under her bed.

Sabrina looked fearfully around her dim bedroom. She had foolishly left her gun in her purse and it was now sitting worthlessly on the table, absolutely no help to her. A quick scan of the room yielded nothing in the means of defending herself.

The scratching had become louder, longer, scraggly fingernails digging hard into the carpet. There were no more unsettling pauses now, it wasn't stopping anymore, just one continuous and increasingly disturbing noise.

"Who's there?" Sabrina shouted firmly.

In response the scratching abruptly stopped.

Sabrina sat panting for a moment, steeling herself to swing her body over to look under the bed. Someone or something was under there.

Another scratch almost made Sabrina shriek out loud.

The sound wasn't as loud as before, but this time it was coming from inside the closet.

Sabrina sat straight up, wide eyes fixed on the closed closet door.

What was going on?

While she was focused on the door, her blanket began to move, slowly sliding off of her legs. Too unnerved to stop it, Sabrina simply stared, growing more and more terrified every second. The blanket slid completely off of her bed and heaped to the floor.

"Come out!" she shrieked, her voice laced with fear. "Come out here!"

Whatever was under the bed became angered by her shouts and began to pound on the underside of the mattress, rattling the entire bed frame and sending Sabrina into a panic.

She leaped off of the bed and stumbled away in terror, frantically snatching her lamp off of her dresser to use as a weapon. The cord whipped off her alarm clock and some jewelry but Sabrina didn't care.

"Get out here!" she yelled at her bed.

As before, the rattling stopped. Sabrina stared at the now still bed and swallowed hard. There was only one thing to do now. Heart pounding, Sabrina lowered herself into a crouch and reached a trembling hand for the bed skirt, ready to push it away and reveal whatever unseen monster was hiding under her bed.

Just as she did the closet door burst wide open.

Two dark shrieking figures flew out at her, impossibly fast, pouncing on her and forcing her to the floor. Sabrina let out a high pitched strangled scream as she was dragged to the floor by the two figures. They were soon joined by a third, grabbing at her clothes and pinning her arms down.

Sabrina kicked and thrashed at them, but the otherworldy strength they possessed was too much for her. The dark figures were cackling now, digging into her ribcage with long, bony fingers, ready to rip her body to shreds. Still screaming, Sabrina pried a hand free and snatched the first thing she could to get some leverage.

Her fingers closed on soft material and with the familiar touch of a hooded sweatshirt sparked an instant recognition that quickly spread to all five senses.

The fingers digging into her sides were tickling her not rending her to pieces. The three dark figures were now clearly three women in hooded sweatshirts and not three unholy closet demons. And the evil cackling she heard?

Well, that was familiar too.

Jill's infectious little giggle suddenly rose above the rest of the laughing, confirming what Sabrina's panicked mind had just discovered. She let go of her sweatshirt and dropped back to the floor. The three stopped their tickling assault and pulled her to a sitting position.

"Oh my God." Sabrina panted, "I cannot belie-"

"Gotcha!" Kelly crowed happily, clapping Sabrina on the shoulder. "Gosh, you should have seen your face!"

She playfully patted Sabrina's cheek and pulled the hood off of her head, revealing her entire face and the rest of her self-satisfied grin.

Sabrina sat quietly against her bed, still coursing with adrenaline. Slowly she turned her head to where a laughing and red faced Jill and Kris were kneeling, unhooded and enjoying every second of Kelly's revenge.

"Kris?" Sabrina breathed.

"Yes, Bri?" Kris answered through her giggles.

"Can you get my gun from the kitchen? I need to shoot all three of you."

Jill laughed and plopped down by her side. "Oh, come on, Bri!" she teased. "We were just having some fun!" She stopped and tilted her head, suddenly looking thoughtful. "Have you always been able to scream like that?"

Kelly and Kris burst into a fresh wave of laughter and Sabrina rolled her eyes and buried her face in her hands, still trying to slow down her heart.

"Why are you working on her side?" she asked Jill, giving her a shove. "She literally made fun of you the entire time you were getting your shot! The entire time, Jill!"

Jill gave an innocent shrug. "She's buying me dinner."

Of course. Jill's allegiance was easily bought. Sabrina groaned and let her eyes swivel to Kris. "E tu, Brute?" she asked wearily.

Kris grinned. "I was part of that bargain. Jill had to bring me to get her dinner." she explained.

Sabrina sighed. "You'll betray your own mother for food."

"That's why she never let us go hungry. " Jill responded seriously.

The girls laughed, and Kelly, having gotten her hysterical laughter under control, wiped her eyes and patted Sabrina's leg.

"We're even now." she said. She stood up and reached out a helping hand. "Now come on, I have two Munroes to feed. In public. I'll need your help."

"My help?" Sabrina repeated disbelievingly, allowing Kelly and Jill to pull her to her feet. "Why should I help you? You just scared twenty years off of my life."

Kelly laughed. "Because obviously you have nothing better to do than sleep."

Sabrina sighed and let the smile that had been trying to spread itself across her face finally go. At least Kelly had gotten her well deserved revenge and she no longer had to wait for it. "Alright then. Where are we going to eat?"

"How about we build a campfire and toast some marshmallows?" Kris piped up immediately.

The three girls stopped and stared at her.

"Oh come on!" Kris cried. "I was joking! When Jill does it you just laugh!"

Jill shook her head. "No they don't, honey." she sighed. "You have a lot to learn."

At Kris's baffled expression, the three girls began to giggle until Kris joined them and all four were sprawled on Sabrina's bed with tears streaming down their faces.

After a minute, Jill sat up and gave Sabrina a shove. "Hey, get dressed so we can go already." she ordered.

Sabrina wisely obeyed and shuffled off into her unhaunted closet to change clothes. When she emerged fully dressed in her previous clothes, she found Kelly, Jill, and Kris waiting impatiently in the living room for her.

"Finally!" Jill called out the moment she saw her. "Let's go eat! I don't know about you three but I'm ready to do something fun."

"Then decide where we're going." Kelly moaned. "You haven't given me an answer."

Sabrina grinned at Kelly and Jill's playful arguing and followed her friends out the door, purposely leaving her keys so Kelly would be forced to both lock her apartment door and drive. It was hard to believe they had just had a vacation last weekend.

Kelly and Jill continued their banter all the way to the parking garage. Sabrina caught Kris's gaze and the younger girl smiled and rolled her eyes tolerantly towards her sister. Sabrina could only laugh. Whatever Jill picked to eat was fine with her. Anything they chose to do was fine with her.

After their failed attempt at a vacation and hellish week, she was sure they were all ready for a few days off to rest and have some much needed fun.

As long as it didn't require packing a suitcase.


End file.
